The inaugural American Eagle flight arriving at Ian Fleming International Airport on Saturday
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Transport Minister Daryl Vaz and MP for St. Mary Western Robert Montague
Residents of St Mary are being told to expect increased economic activities following Saturday's inaugural American Eagle flight at Ian Flemming International Airport in Boscobel.
The non stop flight from Miami International Airport arrived shortly after 12 with 71 passengers on board.
Saturday's flight comes months after the US carrier was forced to postpone plans to fly into the Ian Flemming airport, due to concerns regarding safety and reliability.
The Airports Authority of Jamaica says it has since fixed the issues, constructing a new terminal building and installing additional navigation systems.
Transport Minister Daryl Vaz is predicting tremendous economic opportunities to be gained from the airport's operation, projecting that it will become "the gateway to eight thousand hotel rooms and villas."
Accordingly, he said, "every single resident of St. Mary, St. Ann and Portland will benefit greatly from this investment."
Former Transport Minister Robert Montague, who is the current MP for St. Mary Western, added that there's more work to be done to promote the airport and Boscobel.
He reminded the audience at the arrival ceremony that he has long been opposed to the airport being officially associated with the larger resort town of Ocho Rios, St. Ann, situated a few miles to the west of its actual location in Boscobel, St. Mary.
That position hasn't changed, he said, even as he acknowledged understanding why it was done (from a marketing perspective), while noting that "I see many persons jumping on board now," sharing his view that the proposed change to of association with Boscobel is necessary.
"So, I won't stop trying to change it from Ocho Rios to Boscobel," he vowed.
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