Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says he is pushing for an Emirates Airline Caribbean Hub, noting that fruitful discussions to that extent have taken place with senior executives of the airline.

Bartlett disclosed plans are underway to leverage the airline’s routes and networks into the Caribbean and Latin America.  The Dubai-based Emirates Airline is one of the world’s largest passenger carriers that connects its customers to a network of over 150 destinations.

Discussions on this possible partnership were held during Arabian Travel Market, held from May 6-9 in Dubai, the leading global event for the inbound and outbound travel industry in the Middle East.

Speaking at the end of the travel market, Bartlett explains, “This is a further step increasing the connectivity between  Emirates and the Caribbean as the airline looks to deepening its presence in the region. In the medium term, through a hub and spoke arrangement, there can be a fruitful partnership that would see more visitors from the Middle East visiting Jamaica and the Caribbean and vice versa.” 

Based on Emirates Airline’s current flights to Miami and new flights slated for Colombia are critical to better integrating Jamaica and the Caribbean into their network. Bartlett noted that he also holds a medium-term vision to secure firmer arrangements with the Caribbean and the airline in the form of a hub creation.

Through strong code-sharing partnerships with other airlines like Avianca, Copa and Caribbean airlines, Emirates would have several options for increasing its footprints in the region.

To this end, Minister Bartlett remarked, “The time is right for us to tap into the regional partnerships being created through  Emirates and Jamaica is ready to be inserted within the future logistics of the airline to get more from the Middle Eastern market. This would be a game changer for the destination.” Jamaica welcomed over twelve hundred visitors from the Middle East last year as the island continued its post-pandemic recovery and growth.” 

The Emirates partnership will play a critical role in enabling mass visitors from the Middle East to come to the island.