Expansion and Investment at Airport Amid a Pandemic

With COVID-19 cases soaring on a global level, many countries had closed their borders hoping to control the flow of movement and the spread of the virus. The tourism sector was affected by this sudden disruption resulting in the loss of revenue but a temporary lockdown of airports was not economically feasible and governments moved to reopen. Local airports have been back in business and are looking to expand.

“We’ve seen signs of rebounding traffic. We want to put the building blocks in place so that once we recover, we can maximize on that opportunity,” says Shane Munroe, Chief Executive Officer, MBJ Airports Limited.

However, with a pandemic, there will be periods of economic uncertainty. Many businesses have closed and those that remain are skeptical of making new investments knowing the possibility of zero returns exists. However, for MBJ Airports Limited investments are being made in infrastructure and renewables.

“These projects are really all geared to ensure that we are ready for when the traffic recovers and we believe in the long term vision for growth of tourist arrivals for Montego Bay and to Jamaica.”

Airports are essential to the economic development of countries but the COVID-19 outbreak has hit business hard stalling the development in emerging markets. The recovery period is now essential for economies to build back.