Over 50 flights were impacted by today’s temporary closure of the runway at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St. James.

12 of them had to be cancelled, some were delayed, while others were re-routed to other airports, including the Norman Manley in Kingston.

The runway closure was due to safety issues with on-going construction work to expand the runway. 

MBJ Airports Limited, the operator of SIA, said the closure was for about 8 hours.

Manager of commercial development and marketing Sharon Hislop-Holt said safety was the priority focus, and that checks were made in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority, to ensure that the runway is suitable for normal operations.

She noted that affected travellers were informed by their airlines, to either wait for delayed flights, or use temporary accommodation until tomorrow when they will get another flight.

The affected passengers are expected to be compensated for the flight disruption.