Air Jamaica is involved in projects to make Jamaica more attractive as a cargo hub in the Caribbean, including the construction of cold storage facilities, said Kirk Kennedy, director of Air Jamaica Cargo.
Mr. Kennedy spoke to the Atlanta Air Cargo Association recently about the airline’s initiative to develop more strategic alliances with Delta Air Lines Inc. and other carriers in the region.
The new facilities for cold or frozen cargo coming through airport in the Jamaican cities of Kingston and Montego Bay is part of the airline’s plan to become the preferred carrier for the entire Caribbean, he said.
The government has been actively improving the country’s infrastructure to be more cargo-amenable, he added. The Airport Authority of Jamaica, with the support of Federal Express Inc., for example, in constructing a “cargo village” in Kingston.
The authority is also promoting the airport as one of Jamaica’s transportation hub assets, said Mr. Kennedy.
Air Jamaica carries 70% of total air freight from Jamaica to the rest of the world, but strategic alliances with airlines such as Delta would help the company weather tough economic times, he said.
“Delta has its own direct flights to Montego Bay, which is Air Jamaica’s hub, so an alliance would bring a direct opportunity for freight from North America to come through Jamaica and then to the rest of the Caribbean,” he told GlobalFax.
Contact Mr. Kennedy at (876) 924-8848 or kkennedy@airjamaica.com Visit www.globalatlanta.com for full text.