At least 30 flights that were scheduled to arrive at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica have been cancelled as Air Traffic Controllers on the island walked off the job this morning.
Similar actions also disrupted operations at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.
Air traffic controllers have been at odds with the Ministry of Finance for the last three months owing to a fallout in salary negotiations. According to The Gleaner, the workers reportedly went on sick out at the Sangster International Airport and repeated their silent protest two nights ago.
The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) said it is working towards ensuring a return to normalcy after air traffic controllers took industrial action.
Information Minister, Robert Morgan, speaking on a local radio program, also confirmed the industrial action, saying that a meeting involving the Ministry of Finance and the Minister of Transport is to be held “very shortly to see how quickly we can resolve the issue”.
Providing an update following the interview, Morgan wrote via Twitter, “A lot of flights have been cancelled but we are trying our best to keep the skies open. We were to close at 10 am but management have been able to continue work. We are not sure how long this will last. The cost to the economy is now approaching billions.”
Minister Morgan also provided figures, which include:
Number of persons stranded at the airport or can’t book flights: 12000
Expected persons to fly between Thursday and this weekend: Approximately 30,000 tourists and locals
Projected losses: US$48m or JMD $7.2 Billion
The air traffic controllers’ concerns are similar to that of the National Water Commission (NWC) workers who walked off the job this week disrupting the water supply for more than 500,000 customers across the island. The strike by the NWC workers has since ended.
The JCAA said that it is in contact with all concerned parties and that it is committed to safe and efficient industrial operations and is hoping for a resumption of services in the shortest possible time.
Meanwhile, airport managers have confirmed that flights coming in from several cities in the United States have been cancelled.
Manager, Commercial Development & Marketing, at MBJ Airports Limited, Sharon Hislop, told The Gleaner newspaper that an American Airlines flight that was en route from JFK in New York had to be diverted to Miami, and a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina turned back.
An Air Canada flight, which was en route to Jamaica, was also forced to return to Toronto, while a Frontier flight out of Atlanta, a Sun Wing flight from Toronto, an American Airlines flight from Miami, and a JetBlue flight out of New York were able to land at Sangster before the industrial unrest.
At least one American Airlines flight also departed the island to the United States without any passengers.
