NMIA targeted as a hub for the airlines regional expansion

Durrant Pate/Contributor

United States-based Southwest Airlines is planning on expanding its operations to Jamaica, as part of a push to grow its Caribbean business.

Last week, the airline shared its intentions to expand operations in Jamaica throughout 2023 with Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, who met with Jenn Poeppelmeier, the senior manager for governmental affairs and international & political programs for Southwest, and Steven Swan, its senior director of strategic planning & airline partnerships. The meeting was held at the Jamaican Embassy in Washington, DC.

Southwest, which already operates several weekly flights to the island, plans to increase this number, as it sees the destination as a significant growth opportunity. The meeting discussed the airline increasing flight services along its existing routes to Jamaica.

NMIA serving as Caribbean hub

A crucial discussion point at the meeting is the possibility of Southwest opening a route to Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) and making it a hub for its regional expansion. Southwest anticipates that expansion in the region will enable it to secure a larger portion of the growing air travel market.

No official announcement has been made about opening any new routes but Southwest top executives plan to visit NMIA this year to verify that it would be a good fit for its operations. If all goes well, it is expected that an announcement would be made shortly after of the new route and subsequent expansion plans across the region by year end.

Should Southwest establish operations at Kingston, it will find the airport to be a great location, as it is popular with tourists and is a central point in the Caribbean. While it isn’t exactly oversubscribed, it does have dozens of flights per week.

According to FlightRadar24.com, NMIA’ ‘s most popular connecting destinations include Miami International Airport with 27 weekly flights; John F Kennedy International Airport with 21 weekly flights and Fort Lauderdale International Airport with 21 weekly flights.

Existing operations

Southwest has operated flights to Jamaica for nearly nine years since it launched its first route to the island in 2014. This first flight service connects Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport (MBJ).

Since launching this service, the airline has launched two other routes to MBJ, including a connection to Orlando International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.