General aviation is stepping up to help in the aftermath of the devastation left in Jamaica from Hurricane Melissa.
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has activated its Humanitarian Emergency Response Operator (HERO) Database, which includes a list of people in the business aviation community who are part of disaster-response mobilization efforts.
Additionally, organizations such as Operation Air Drop, AERObridge, Airlink and others are accepting donations from the business and general aviation community to assist with relief efforts as they monitor the situation for additional opportunities to help, including airlifting supplies.
As of the evening of Oct. 30, Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport (KIN) remained the only Jamaican airport open to limited commercial and general aviation operations. The airport lies approximately 525 nautical miles from Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (KFXE), NBAA officials point out.
According to Doug Carr, NBAA senior vice president of safety, security, sustainability and international operations, distance and other factors — including uncertainty about the condition and availability of the airport’s fuel supplies — make longer-range business and commercial aircraft best suited for initial humanitarian operations.
“Additionally, requests for overflight permits to transit Cuban airspace may be delayed,” Carr added. “Operators must also secure necessary permission to fly into Jamaica.”
Disaster response organization Samaritan’s Purse flew 38,000 pounds of supplies, including shelter tarps, solar lights, medical supplies, and water filtration systems, onboard its Boeing 757 into Kingston.
Officials are also working to reopen Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ) in Ocho Rios, 30 nm to the north. The country’s third major airport, Montego Bay-Sangster International Airport (MBJ) “was very badly hit,” said Nari Williams-Singh, director general of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA).
“We have all hands on deck to get up and running as quickly as possible,” he added in a statement.
Melissa made landfall Oct. 28, 2025, in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane, the strongest storm ever to hit the country. Media reports indicate more than half a million residents are without power, with communications across the island severely compromised and widespread, extensive damage to roads, homes, hospitals and other facilities and infrastructure.
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