Sangster International Airport reveals new departures expansion

Credit: MBJ Airports Ltd

Sangster International Airport (SIA), Jamaica’s leading gateway to the world operated by MBJ Airports Limited (MBJ), officially opened its newly Expanded Departures Area by the Minister of Transport & Mining, the Honourable Audley Shaw, representing Prime Minister Andrew Holness along with Shane Munroe, CEO of MBJ Airports Limited, CEO and President of Airports Authority of Jamaica and other Government officials and stakeholders. 

Planning for the Departures Expansion commenced in 2017. This included hiring consultants, Pragma to provide expertise in Airport Space & Category Mix Planning and The Design Solution (TDS) to provide support the airport’s commercial planning strategy and design services for the airport retail. Both Pragma and TDS were instrumental in the redevelopment of the retail program, created to transform the retail and service offering at the airport to international standards by delivering a memorable and stimulating shopping experience for passengers. The new design for the departure terminal seamlessly blends creative architectural design with commercial drivers by enhancing natural light, more circulation space and seating for passengers. The new retail program consists of well-appointed concessions creating a sense of place, providing passengers with a memorable experience to indulge in their last moments in Jamaica. 

The redevelopment of the 4,000m² departures area includes an appealing 1,300 m² walkthrough Duty Free store operated by global travel retailer Dufry at the entrance to the departures retail area. This strategic design has created a functional and effective layout of the entire retail programme and provide clear sightlines and footfall to the broader retail offering. 

A 12m-high Rotunda double-height space, with a floor-to-ceiling curtain wall creates the focal point of the newly developed food court.  Highlighting the food court is a palm-tree inspired bar with wrap around LED screens and the Bob Marley – One Love Restaurant, currently exclusive to Sangster International with a scheduled opening date of February 2023. 

Credit: MBJ Airports Ltd

Shaw was excited to see the development in the Departure terminal stating: “MBJ Airports have been consistently raising the bar for airports in the region. It serves as a true representation of the vision to bring Jamaica’s aviation into the 21st century and well beyond. Congratulations to the MBJ Airports and the team at the SIA on this new milestone. Job well done!”

Munroe revealed that “Airports worldwide have been forced to assess their strategic outlook given the impact of the global pandemic. Early lessons taught us at MBJ that we needed to continue responding to the crisis with agility, innovation and a passenger-centric focus into the future. I am truly proud of the entire team that has worked to make this vision a reality and we will be pursuing transformational changes that are equally passenger focused and operationally impactful, futureproofing MBJ’s continued recovery. The completion of this work is one step as we work towards our vision of being a leading tourism destination airport, exceeding the expectations of our passengers, while being uniquely Jamaican.” 

In his presentation, Munroe added that: “Every step of the customer journey on Arrival and Departure is an opportunity to win the heart of a visitor so that they will choose to visit Jamaica over and over again. We want our passengers to develop an emotional connection to our country and by extension, Sangster International Airport, creating wow experiences at each step of the journey that will draw them back to Jamaica. Our intention with facilities such as this Departures area that you see here today is to do just that, win their hearts, and have them remember why they must visit this beautiful country once more.”

The newly upgraded retail offer at Sangster International Airport spans 68 outlets with a wide variety of product listing, with store aesthetics infused with a strong Jamaican ‘sense of place’, creating meaningful experiences for our passengers.