- Germany has been a very strong market for Jamaica, with 23,000 visitors in 2019 before the pandemic.
- This will also aid in Jamaica’s mission to increase visitor arrivals from Europe, demonstrated by airline seat capacity between the UK and Jamaica now at 100% of what it was pre-COVID.
- Jamaica is open for business and is a safe destination with a COVID infection rate nearing zero on the Resilient Corridor.
Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, elated by the news of this additional route from Germany, stated that it will undoubtedly strengthen the island’s connection with the European market.
“Jamaica was indeed very happy to welcome the inaugural flight from Eurowings yesterday evening. Germany has been a very strong market for us, with 23,000 visitors from their country coming to our shores in 2019 before the pandemic. I know that this figure will increase with nonstop flights now available from Eurowings and Condor,” said Bartlett.
“This flight from Germany will also aid in our mission to increase visitor arrivals from Europe, which my team has been actively engaging with. In fact, airline seat capacity between the UK and Jamaica is at 100% of what it was pre-COVID. We want to assure our partners and future visitors to the island that Jamaica is open for business and is a safe destination with a COVID infection rate nearing zero on the Resilient Corridor,” he added.
The Eurowings Discover aircraft, which had 211 passengers and crew, was greeted with a water cannon salute at the Sangster International Airport (SIA) upon arrival.
The passengers were welcomed by Deputy Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon; German Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Dr. Stefan Keil; Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations Ltd. Joy Roberts; and Regional Director at the Jamaica Tourist Board, Odette Dyer.
The new service will fly twice weekly into Montego Bay, departing Wednesdays and Saturdays, and enhance access to the island from Europe. It is important to point out that Jamaica is looking at receiving 17 nonstop flights per week out of the United Kingdom. Additionally, Swiss leisure travel airline, Edelweiss, started new once-weekly flights into Jamaica while Condor Airlines restarted roughly twice-weekly flights between Frankfurt, Germany and Montego Bay in July.
Eurowings is the Lufthansa Group’s low-cost airline and, as such, part of the world’s largest aviation group. They operate a fleet of 139 planes and specialize in low-cost direct flights across Europe.
