LONDON – American Airlines has announced a brand-new route from Miami to Ocho Rios, known as Ian Fleming International Airport.

It will be the first time OJC will be connected to a central transit hub, the Airport being prevalently general aviation until now. Most of its tourism transits from the other main airports on the Caribbean Island near Ocho Rios.

Montego Bay is 62 miles and Kingston 34 miles away. 

The Airport is a convenient location for tourists residing on the Beaches Ocho Rios, Rooms Resorts, Sans Souci, and Couples tower. 

The service will commence on the 5th of November, operating on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with only a scheduled turnaround time from landing until take-off only 55 minutes; it’s sure to be one of the shortest international turnarounds.

The short turnaround time is made possible by the size of the Airport and the aircraft used. 

The 007 Flight Number…

Envoy Air, the fully owned American Airlines regional subsidiary, will operate this route. The flight number is AA 4007 (007, recalling the main character agent code in Ian Flemings’s film and novel series, James Bond).

Envoy Air will utilize an Embraer E-175. This route will delight both Aviation and James bond fans. The terminal’s size and aircraft are set to give passengers an exclusive feel. 

Ocho Rios is delighted to be welcoming its first scheduled service in November after a 300-million-dollar investment in renovating the terminal, runway, and passenger facilities in 2010.

After the renovation, the Airport was renamed Ian Fleming International, tributing the late author of the James Bond series. 

The renaming of the Airport caused much controversy. Some locals felt that the new Airport and terminal should have been dedicated to a prominent Jamaican figure instead of a British writer and that Jamaican Heritage was not respected.

Acknowledging the controversy, Prime Minister Golding explained that Ian Fleming gave Jamaica “an image much larger than it would otherwise have had”.

PM Golding then explained that Jamaica was the paradisiac island where Ian Flemings’s creative nature flowed, enabling him to write thirteen James Bond novels and thus becoming one of the world’s most famous authors. 

Although made famous mainly by Ian Fleming and has been one of the locations where various bond movies were filmed, the location is also a notorious location for concerts, hosting the likes of Rihanna, Lauren Hill, and Ziggy Marley.

Although slightly further afield from Ocho Rios, Dunn’s River Falls is where Sean Connery met Ursula Andres (‘Honey Ryder’), the first-ever Bond Girl to star on the silver screen in the first playwright of the bond series Dr. No. 

American Airlines is no stranger to Iconic flight numbers, with AA4007 joining AA1492 to Columbus, commemorating the Genovese Explorer, Cristopher Columbus. 

The new route will become bookable in days; until then, OCJ will not be a bookable option on the American Airlines website. 

American Airlines’ presence in Jamaica 

American Airlines has long served the sandy beaches and busy cities of Jamaica, connecting the country (through its transit hubs) to the world. Even more so after the collapse of the Jamaican Flag carrier, Air Jamaica, in 2015.

American airlines serve Jamaica from Charlotte, Dallas, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and seasonally, Boston. 

The novelty does not end with OCJs new route. American Airlines will also commence Austin- Montego Bay on the 4th of June.