KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s tourism sector has secured a major boost with Canadian low-cost carrier Porter Airlines announcing three new non-stop routes linking major Canadian population centers to Montego Bay, set to launch ahead of the 2026–27 winter travel season. The new service will connect Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport directly to Toronto Pearson International Airport, Ottawa International Airport, and John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, marking the first time any airline has offered non-stop service between Hamilton and the popular Jamaican resort destination.
Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, has praised the expansion as a landmark win for the country’s tourism industry, highlighting the years of targeted work to grow airlift connectivity with Canada, one of Jamaica’s largest and most consistent source markets for winter travel. “This new airlift from Porter Airlines is a powerful affirmation of Jamaica’s standing as Canada’s premier winter sun destination,” Bartlett said in an official statement following the announcement at JAPEX 2025, Jamaica’s major annual tourism trade exhibition. “Connecting Montego Bay directly to Toronto, Ottawa and — for the first time for Porter— Hamilton opens our island to an even wider circle of Canadian visitors. Jamaica is open, vibrant and ready to welcome every traveller who steps off these new flights.”
Porter, one of Canada’s fastest-expanding commercial airlines, has laid out a clear operating schedule for the new routes, pending final regulatory approval. Starting November 23, 2026, the carrier will run up to five weekly flights from Toronto Pearson. The Ottawa route will launch two days later on November 25, with two weekly flights, while the pioneering Hamilton service will commence on December 20, 2026, also with two weekly flights.
The addition of these Jamaican routes forms a core part of Porter’s broader strategic expansion into warm-weather winter getaways, which will grow the airline’s sun destination network by more than 150% year-over-year, adding four new countries and over 15 new routes across its Canadian domestic network. This aggressive growth reflects the unmet demand for non-stop access to Caribbean destinations from mid-sized Canadian markets that have previously relied on connecting flights through major hubs like Toronto.
For Jamaica, the Hamilton route is particularly transformative: the airport serves the Greater Golden Horseshoe, a densely populated region of southern Ontario that has never before had direct access to the island. Donavan White, Director of Tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board, noted that the new routes will open Jamaica’s world-famous beaches, vibrant culture, and signature hospitality to a far broader base of Canadian travelers. “Canada consistently ranks among Jamaica’s most important source markets, and this announcement from Porter Airlines reinforces why,” White said during a media breakfast at JAPEX 2025 held in Montego Bay. “Three new non-stop gateways to Montego Bay give Canadian travellers unprecedented ease of access to our island.”
Angella Bennett, Regional Director for Canada at the Jamaica Tourist Board, echoed that sentiment, noting that sustained strong demand from Canadian travelers for Jamaican vacations has driven this industry growth. “Canadian travellers have a deep and enduring love for Jamaica, and demand from markets like Toronto, Ottawa and southern Ontario has never been stronger,” Bennett said. “Porter’s decision to add Montego Bay to its winter network — including that pioneering Hamilton route — reflects the confidence the airline community has in Jamaica as a destination that delivers. We will be working with Porter and our trade partners across Canada to ensure these seats fill quickly and that every passenger arrives in Jamaica ready to experience everything the island has to offer.”
Industry analysts note the expansion is a win-win for both sides: it meets growing Canadian demand for accessible winter sun travel while providing Jamaica with a steady stream of new visitors that will support the island’s $6 billion tourism industry, which accounts for roughly a third of the country’s total GDP.