MBJ Airports Sangster International Airport (SIA) Passenger Traffic Surpasses 4m
Montego Bay, Jamaica – MBJ Airports welcomed the four-millionth passenger to Sangster International Airport (SIA) on Friday, December 15, setting a new historical record for passenger traffic through the country’s leading international gateway.
The four-millionth passenger, Jill Bell, arrived on American Airlines flight 840 from Charlotte, North Carolina Friday afternoon alongside her husband Steven Bell to spend Christmas in Jamaica for the tenth year in a row.
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism Jennifer Griffith, Custos of St. James Ewen Corrodus and MBJ Airports CEO Rafael Echevarne met the Bell party at their arrival gate to celebrate the new record.
“We are humbled and reenergized as we celebrate this historical milestone,” said Echevarne. “Sangster International Airport is an integral part of the visitor experience and MBJ is investing heavily for the long term to provide the safest, most enjoyable, seamless and authentically Jamaican experience possible.”
Passenger traffic at SIA has grown by 8% in 2017, double the rate initially forecasted for the year, Echevarne told a gathering of stakeholders and officials at the airport Friday. MBJ projects similar traffic growth in 2018.
The airport operator will spend USD 40m between 2017 and 2018 on its development master plan to accommodate growing traffic and improve the level of service, Echevarne said. Infrastructure improvement works include taxiway rehabilitation on the airside and an overhaul of the ticketing area in the departure terminal.
Passenger traffic has grown by 56% since Sangster International Airport was privatized in 2003 and MBJ Airports was awarded its 30-year concession. Traffic has grown by 17.5% since majority ownership in the airport operator was sold to Mexico-based Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) in 2015, meanwhile. MBJ is held by GAP and Canada-based Vantage Airport Group.
Growing traffic at Sangster International Airport means more business for Jamaica’s tourism industry and more revenue for the Jamaican government. MBJ Airports will contribute USD 8.6m in taxes and USD 24.9m in concession fees to Government of Jamaica coffers in 2017.
In addition, each arriving passenger contributes USD 68 in taxes and fees, including a contribution to the Tourism Enhancement Fund, which has grown by more than USD 42m in 2017.
