Negril international airport procurement could begin within nine months

Plans for a new international airport near Negril are moving toward procurement, with the Airports Authority of Jamaica outlining possible timelines for the nearly US$500-million development proposed for Little London, less than 20 kilometres from Seven Mile Beach.

Speaking at the recently concluded Throop X Investment Conference, Horace Bryson, senior director of engineering, maintenance and projects at the Airports Authority of Jamaica, said the preferred site spans several hundred acres. He said the concept includes a runway strip of about three miles, describing the scale of planning as part of wider national development.

The project is being pitched as a major boost for western Jamaica’s tourism economy. Negril and surrounding communities now account for close to one-third of Jamaica’s US$4.3 billion in tourism earnings, while drawing about 18 per cent of total visitor arrivals. Officials expect a nearby international airport to improve those figures by reducing travel time for tourists after they land in Jamaica.

Bryson said visitor complaints about long onward journeys are already being relayed through the Jamaica Tourist Board and other tourism interests. He said Airports Authority analysis suggests the Negril airport could initially handle 189,000 passengers, with traffic projected to rise to 1.23 million by 2047.

Questions were also raised about whether Jamaican contractors and concessionaires would have a fair chance to participate. Bryson said the work would not be handed directly to any company and would instead go through competitive bidding. He added that, because of the project’s size, joint ventures would be allowed, with time built into the process for companies to organise partnerships.

Bryson said the authority would prefer qualified and capable local participation, noting that Jamaican involvement would help keep more of the project’s value in the country.

Prospective bidders may have limited time to prepare. Bryson said the opportunity could be advertised in about eight to nine months through the government procurement process. He suggested the authority would like works to begin around 2026, with 2028 to 2030 also part of the planning horizon. Once construction starts, he said a runway could take roughly 24 to 36 months to reach the point where aircraft can land.