Fifteen new immigration kiosks will be installed at Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport by December according to Jamaica’s Transport and Mining Minister Audley Shaw.
The minister noted that this improvement will aid in the airport’s flow of passengers seeking to submit declarations when crossing Jamaica’s borders.
Shaw also announced during a press conference held during a tour of the airport’s ongoing runway expansion works, that by next month, the kiosks will be able to accept C5 declaration forms, which are required for travelers to enter Jamaica.
He stated that the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) will work with the Passport, Immigration, and Citizenship Agency (PICA) and Montego Bay Jamaica Airports Limited (MBJ) to procure and install 15 additional immigration kiosks, taking the total to 60 from the current 45.
“These will be ordered by next week so that they will be supplied by December of this year, and the AAJ has consented to the order and will identify the necessary funding for this,” Shaw said at the briefing.
He added: “PICA has programmed the immigration kiosks to now process the C5 declaration forms, and this should be fully rolled out by the end of September.”
“This is significant because it will divert a significant number of passengers from submitting the manual forms at the immigration counters.”
These upcoming improvements will complement the current construction for the expansion and upgrading of the Taxi Echo runway at Sangster International Airport, allowing for more efficient taxiing of arriving aircraft.
The expansion, which also includes the realignment of sections of nearby Kent Avenue and a new entrance linked to the Montego Bay bypass, is part of a $10.9 billion project at the airport.
Furthermore, PICA and MBJ will collaborate on other measures to improve the airport’s service flow and reduce congestion at the facility. These measures will include the installation of signs, the training of customer service representatives, and the distribution of announcements to travelers as needed.
“These measures, we believe, will significantly improve the congestion issues until the airport expansion projects are fully implemented, and that in and of itself will make the congestion issues a thing of the past,” Shaw said.
Minister of National Security Dr. Horace Chang, who was also present, said a visitor’s experience in Jamaica must include satisfactory service at the airport.
“The improvement of our border management system guarantees the safety and security of persons utilizing our ports of entry for legitimate purposes, but also ensures that visitors to our island must have a welcoming, safe, and efficient entry. The visitor experience at the airport is crucial for the level of returning visitors to the country,” Chang said.
“Tourism is one of our primary economic activities, and it is a service that requires effective management of our ports, and especially the airports.”
