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Airlines have delayed flights to the popular holiday destination of Jamaica as the island prepares for its strongest storm on record. Tui, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have all delayed flights to the Caribbean island as Hurricane Melissa makes landfall today. A crisis centre ready to help Britons on the Caribbean island has been set up by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Royal Navy ship HMS Trent is already in the region on stand-by. Around 5,000 British nationals are on the island, reports have said. The hurricane hits the island as a category five storm, the strongest for the island since record-keeping began 174 years ago. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE All of Jamaica’s international airports have been closed until further notice. Catastrophic flash floods and landslides are likely, with up to 700mm of rain, four-metre waves and 135mph winds possible, the FCDO said. The Jamaican government has published a list of available hurricane shelters. British tourists are urged to monitor local news, UK travel trade organisation Abta warned. A spokesperson said: “The international airports in Jamaica are now closed as a precaution until the storm passes. “Travel providers are liaising with their suppliers locally and providing advice and assistance to their customers. “Customers currently in Jamaica are advised to monitor local news and should follow the advice of the local authorities, their accommodation and travel providers. “Customers who are imminently due to travel to Jamaica should liaise with their travel provider and airline to establish if there are any changes to their travel arrangements.” Tui has delayed flights to and from the island due to the hurricane and it said “the safety and wellbeing of our customers remains our absolute top priority.” In a statement on its website, the airline said: “We understand this is an unsettling time and ask that customers currently in Jamaica continue to follow the advice of local authorities and their resort teams. “We are doing everything we can to support you and get you home safely.” For package customers, the airline said its team will be in touch with the next available flight schedule and that hotel accommodation will be extended. For flight-only customers, Tui urges them to ask their hotel or accommodation provider to extend their stay. It added that it will “be able to support you by reimbursing all reasonable accommodation, transport and meal costs.” Regarding customers due to travel to Jamaica, Tui said: “Due to the closure of Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, we have had to delay a number of flights. “We know you've been looking forward to your holiday, and we're carefully assessing the constantly evolving situation. We have already contacted impacted customers who were due to depart prior to the 30th October to let them know about their options. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.” Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have delayed flights to the island. In a statement on its website, Virgin Atlantic said: “We’re very sorry for the impact and inconvenience caused to our customers. We’ll continue to monitor Hurricane Melissa closely, as our customers' safety remains our top priority.” It added that customers travelling with Virgin Atlantic Holidays will be contacted by one of the team, while customers who’ve booked through a travel agent or third party are advised to contact their travel provider directly to rebook onto an alternative flight or to discuss options. Passengers are urged to register as ‘away from home’ on the airline’s website, which means Virgin Atlantic will try to automatically rebook them on the next available flight and will help them to cover any “essential expenses” incurred because of the delayed flights. For more of today's top stories, click here.
