Norman Manley passenger throughput slips 3.2% as Spirit pullback and thinner US schedules weigh on figures

Throughput at Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston has slipped 3.2 per cent for the year to date when set against the equivalent stretch of 2025.

Sitara English-Byfield, chief executive officer of PACKAL, delivered the assessment yesterday during the NMIA Airport Forum. She indicated that no single issue explains the softer numbers, yet the largest drag ties back to Spirit Airlines operating fewer rotations in the period leading up to the carrier’s formal shutdown on 2 May.

Mrs English-Byfield added that aggregate services from the United States into NMIA have also eased; American routes remain a cornerstone of the airport’s passenger mix. She likewise remarked that freight flows through NMIA are expanding at a strong pace.