Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, welcomed 320 passengers of the Russian flight, Transaero Airlines, as it made its inaugural trip to Jamaica, landing at the Sangster International Airport, in Montego Bay, on January 1.

Central and South American carriers LAN Airlines and its affiliates and TAM Airlines added additional seasonal flights to meet increased demand for travel to and from the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean to South America. LAN and TAM will offer additional new flight dates and options during the South American summer season.

Chairman of the cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT, is calling for a meeting of Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders early in 2013 to deal with transportation problems in the region. Jean Holder said that the summit should be convened to discuss regional air transportation.

Four U.S. airlines have struck new codeshare agreements with foreign carriers to make it easy for travelers with their connections all around the world. The codeshare deals make it possible for travelers to buy a single ticket for connections.