Cancellations and closures begin at Jamaican airports ahead of Hurricane Melissa
A major international airport in Jamaica will close on Saturday night as Hurricane Melissa closes in on the island, officials announced.
The Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston will be shut down at 9 p.m. after the departure of the final scheduled flight of the night.
Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay is open for now but may close later today, said Transport Minister Daryl Vaz. It is unclear when airports will be fully operational, as Melissa is set to make landfall sometime this weekend.
Meanwhile, a JetBlue Airways spokesperson confirmed that all flights scheduled for Sunday and Monday to and from Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport and Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport have been cancelled.
Sangster International Airport reported multiple cancellations but noted that additional flight sections have been added to accommodate travelers leaving the island, according to a press release issued Saturday morning.
At least seven Air Canada flights scheduled between Saturday and Tuesday have been cancelled, while JetBlue has cancelled 14 flights between Sunday and Tuesday. Caribbean Airlines has canceled two flights on Saturday and Sunday. Southwest has also cancelled eight flights planned for Sunday. Cancellations may change based on conditions and airport operations.
American Airlines plans to cancel all flights to and from Kingston, Jamaica on Sunday, Laura Masvidal, a spokesperson for the carrier said. Flights in and out of Montego Bay will operate regularly. “We have a travel alert in place for those traveling to and from Jamaica,” she said.
To assist affected passengers, Air Canada has added two extra flights on Saturday, and American Airlines has increased capacity on two of its Saturday departures.
A spokesperson for Miami International Airport said there is one delayed departure to Montego Bay and that “isn’t necessarily because of the storm.”
Miami Herald staff writer Jacqueline Charles contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM.