Hurricane Beryl Forces Airport Closures, Travel Advisories Across the Caribbean — What to Know

13.07.2024 - 12:29 / travelandleisure.com / Spirit Airlines / United Airlines / Andrew Holness

Several airports across the Caribbean have closed and airline travel alerts issued as Hurricane Beryl barrels toward Jamaica.

In Jamaica, Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport (KIN) closed on Tuesday night «in the interest of safety for staff and passengers and the protection of airport infrastructure,» according to a post on X. The country’s Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay similarly closed through July 3.

“Following the hurricane, a comprehensive assessment will be conducted to determine when it is safe to resume operations,” the Montego Bay airport said in a post on X.

In the Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman’s Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) said it planned to close at 6 p.m. local time on July 3, while Cayman Brac’s Charles Kirkconnell International Airport (CYB) planned to close at 3 p.m., according to the Cayman Islands Airports Authority.

“We anticipate resuming Airport Operations once the ’All Clear’ for the Cayman Islands has been given on Hurricane Beryl,” the airport authority wrote in a statement.

Several airlines in the United States also issued travel alerts, waiving fare differences for travelers who need to change their flights to airports across the Caribbean, including to Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Cancun, and Belize. These airlines included Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Frontier Airlines. 

The massive storm, which became the earliest to reach Category 5 status and forced several cruise lines to reroute on Tuesday, was downgraded to a Category 4 storm on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. A hurricane warning was in effect for the islands of Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac.

Hurricane Beryl was expected to then pass into Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Friday.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness issued an evacuation order “for areas prone to floods, landslides, or near sea level, gullies, or waterways,” according to a post on X.

“We urge all Jamaicans to follow evacuation notices,” Holness said in the post.

The storm comes near the beginning of what is forecast to be an «above normal” Atlantic hurricane season. It also comes ahead of what is expected to be a record-setting July 4 holiday at airports.