Skip to content
Accident Investigations

Government of Jamaica

About Us

About Us
Mission & vision
Core Values
Meet The Team
Strategic Goals
Achievements
Risk Insights
Citizen's Charter

LEARN MORE ABOUT US

Our history, mission, vision, core values, strategic goals, and achievements.

About the JCAA

– Ensuring Safe and Efficient Aviation

The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) is a dynamic statutory organisation under the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport. Established by the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Act 1995, the JCAA commenced operations in May 1996. Our primary role is to regulate Jamaica’s civil aviation industry to ensure its safety, security, efficiency and economic sustainability.

Our History

On April 1, 1947, Jamaica established the Civil Aviation Department (CAD). Its purpose was to ensure the compliance of all air operators with international and local rules and regulations. The main objective was to ensure the safe and expeditious flow of air traffic within Jamaica’s airspace.

The need to transform the CAD from a Civil Service agency to a statutory entity was necessary for modernising the Department and keeping apace with the growth of civil aviation locally and worldwide.

The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) was, therefore, established by the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Act 1995. The Authority became operational on May 6, 1996.

A Journey Through Jamaica's Aviation History

Discover the rich history of aviation in Jamaica, from its pioneering flights to the establishment of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA).

  1. 1911
  2. 1930
  3. 1930
  4. 1931
  5. 1934
  6. 1947
  7. 1948
  8. 1949
  9. 1952
  10. 1960
  11. 1966
  12. 1967
  13. 1969
  14. 1970
  15. 1972
  16. 1974
  17. 1990
  18. 1996
  19. 1997
  20. 2005

  1. December 21, 1911

    1911

    First reported flight in Jamaica by Jessee Seligman (8 years after the world recorded its first flight by the Wright brothers).

  2. June 1930

    1930

    Caribbean Airways registered as a company.

  3. December 10, 1930

    1930

    The first commercial flight, a Pan American Consolidated Commodore twin-engine flying boat, landed in Kingston Harbour from Miami, bringing mail, not passengers, to the island.

  4. November 21, 1931

    1931

    Famous US aviator, Col. Charles Lindberg brought the inaugural Pan American Sikorsky S-4 Clipper to Jamaica. • June 1930- Caribbean Airways registered as a company.

  5. 1934

    1934

    Another historic period for the nation’s aviation industry began when Sir Albert Forsythe and Charles C. Anderson (the godfathers of African American aviation) arrived in Jamaica from Cuba. This was the first time a plane had arrived on the island.

  6. 1947

    1947

    Establishment of the Civil Aviation Department (CAD)

  7. 1948

    1948

    Establishment of the Kingston Area Control Centre (Kin ACC), now the Kingston Air Traffic Control Centre (KATCC). Also in the same year, the Palisadoes Airport (now Norman Manley International) and the Montego Bay Airport (now Sangster International) were established.

  8. 1949

    1949

    Hiring of local and international air traffic controllers.

  9. 1952

    1952

    Establishment of Wings Jamaica Ltd., Jamaica’s first pilot training organization, by Carl and Earsley Barnett.

  10. January 31, 1960

    1960

    The BOAC Comet 4 jet arrived in Montego Bay.

  11. May 1, 1966

    1966

    Inaugural flight of Air Jamaica.

  12. 1967

    1967

    Work on Tinson Pen Aerodrome completed.

  13. April 1, 1969

    1969

    The new Air Jamaica began operations.

  14. 1970

    1970

    Training of Air Traffic Controllers locally.

  15. May 16, 1972

    1972

    Official opening of the Norman Manley International Airport by Premier Norman Manley.

  16. 1974

    1974

    Renaming of the Airports.

  17. 1990

    1990

    Reopening of the Training Institute.

  18. 1996

    1996

    The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority was established.

  19. September 1997

    1997

    Jamaica received Category 1 status.

  20. 2005

    2005

    Category 1 status was renewed and remains in place.

  • Ten (10) possibilities were examined before the Palisadoes site was considered for Jamaica’s first airport.
  • Sites considered were Bumper Hall, The War Department lands at Up Park Camp and Harbour Head, a site on Deanery Road, the Norman Range lands, Mona, the Greenwich reclamation area, May Pen, Kingston Pen Lands and Kingston Race Course
  • Pan American
  • KLM.
  • Cubana
  • Avianca
  • BWIA
  • BOAC
  • Jamaica Air Transport Ltd.
  • British Caribbean Airways
  • Caribbean International Airways
  • The Constellation
  • BOAC double-decker StratoCruiser: New York to Montego Bay
  • The Britannia 312 turboprop or "whispering giant,"  London-New York-Jamaica
  • VC-10
  • Boeing 707
  • DC 8

Mission

To ensure that the public is provided with a safe, reliable, efficient and user-friendly Air Transport System, being cognizant of the standards and recommended practices developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

VISION

To be recognized as a world-class civil aviation authority, that is integrally involved in the sustainable development of a safe and thriving global aviation community that supports and serves Jamaica.

Our Core Values

As we carry out our mission, we remain committed to:

The safe and orderly development of civil aviation in Jamaica (acknowledging the convention of ICAO).

Providing efficient and user-responsive Air Navigation Services to national and international communities.

Cooperating with other agencies in the facilitation, provision and regulation of a reliable and effective public Air Transport System.

Providing an appropriate environment for the growth, development and professional enhancement of staff.

The JCAA is the primary custodian of Jamaica’s civil aviation industry. We are committed to ensuring safety, efficiency, and professionalism, as cornerstones of civil aviation within Jamaica, and across the globe.

The JCAA’s Leadership

Meet the team

At the helm of the JCAA is Director General, Mr. Nari Williams-Singh. He is supported by three (3) Deputy Directors General for the Corporate Services, Regulatory Affairs, and Air Navigation Services divisions. A nine-member Board of Directors, chaired by Major General (Ret’d.) Stewart Saunders, provides oversight and guidance.

Mr. Nari Williams-Singh
Director General
Mrs. Nichole Morgan
Deputy Director General, Corporate Services
Mr. Rohan Campbell
Deputy Director General, Regulatory Affairs
Mr. Howard Greaves
Deputy Director General, Air Navigation Services
Meet the Senior Management Team Members
Meet the Board of Directors

Learn about our

Strategic Goals

To enhance safety and security in cili aviation.

Safety & Security

To enhance safety and security in civil aviation

People, Capacity-Building & Innovation

To identify, develop and adopt modern, effective and progressive systems and techniques for people management.

Sustainability, Resilience & environmental Protection

To manage structures, systems, and resources effectively for responsible and sustainable development.

Air Transport Industry Growth

To contribute to the development of a vibrant civil aviation sector.

Operational Efficiency

To allocate resources to produce safe outputs while managing cost effectively.

Governance

To ensure processes, structure, performance, and decision-making that promotes value, produce outcome that meet the needs of Jamaica and the air transport industry while protecting assets and making the best use of resources.

Learn about our

Achievements

The JCAA continues to achieve milestones which contribute to the advancement of the Government of Jamaica’s (GOJ’s) policy objectives of increasing the efficiency and capacity of our air transport sector. These have enhanced the industry’s ability to more safely and effectively transport passengers, goods and services, across various locations, locally, across the region and internationally.

Projects have been prioritised to enable :

  • Growth and development of Jamaica’s air transport industry.
  • A comprehensive modernization of Jamaica’s air navigation infrastructure.
  • The continued development of Jamaica’s technical infrastructure and human capital to ensure that we meet our obligations under the Chicago Convention and other international obligations.
  • The modernization of the JCAA’s Information & Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure.
  • Compliance with the Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization, as well as the Government of Jamaica’s governance requirements for the management and administration of public bodies.

Learn about our

Risk Insights

Risk Insights is a publication of the JCAA’s Research, Planning and Risk Assessment Department. The publication provides useful information on hazard identification, risk management techniques, and the Authority’s risk management framework, among other things. See the latest editions below:

Citizen's Charter
Download