KINGSTON, Jamaica - After 14 months of working assiduously to meet rigorous regulatory aviation requirements, Fly Jamaica Airways will officially take to the skies on Friday, January 25, with its inaugural flight scheduled to depart for the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Fly Jamaica Airways received its air operating certificate in September 2012 from the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA). The certificate is its licence to operate as an airline. In late December 2011, the airline received clearance from authorities in the United States, which determined that the airline has the capital to operate and just two weeks ago, Fly Jamaica finalised its operating schedules out of JFK.
Chief Operating Officer Captain Lloyd Tai said the response to the new airline has been overwhelming. "We have completed all the technical and commercial requirements. We are new and had to get accustomed to interfacing with the American system. The United States had to ensure that we were 100 per cent compliant," Tai said.