Latest news After hurricane "Melissa": confusion at Jamaica's airports
Four days after the devastating hurricane "Melissa", thousands of tourists in Jamaica have gathered at the international airport in the capital Kingston - in the hope of finally being able to leave the island. There was confusion among the departing travelers. Dozens of flights were canceled on Saturday at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, the country's largest airport.
01.11.2025, 19:17
SDA
According to the government in Kingston, around 25,000 tourists were in Jamaica when Hurricane Melissa hit the island on Tuesday (local time). A high double-digit number of Germans were also among them, according to the Foreign Office.
Storm chaser reports stranded travelers
In Montego Bay, where the airport was severely damaged by the hurricane, around 40 commercial flights were canceled on Saturday. The airport announced on Platform X that only a limited number of flights would be taking off.
Many travelers therefore tried to fly out of Kingston. "All our flights in Montego Bay were canceled (as expected) over the weekend, so we drove here early this morning," wrote well-known US storm chaser Max Olson on X. He shared a video of people in the Norman Manley Airport terminal in Kingston waiting at the counters with their luggage. Storm chasers are people who observe and document weather phenomena. Olson had traveled to Jamaica for this purpose.
"Melissa" reached Jamaica as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the Atlantic. Entire villages were severely damaged. The hurricane killed at least 50 people in the Caribbean, including 19 in Jamaica.
