It looks like Air Jamaica is closing its shuttle carrier. The chairman of Sandals and majority owner of Air Jamaica Express has pulled the plug. The government took over Air Jamaica this past winter.

 MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – Air Jamaica Express will suspend operations Oct. 14, due to the high costs of fuel, ongoing turbulence in the aviation industry and a review of market conditions, “which signaled diminishing returns,” according to a statement released by the carrier.< ?xml:namespace prefix ="" o ns ="" "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 The airline connected Jamaica’s airports in Montego Bay, Kingston and Ocho Rios and also served Cuba, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos, the Dominican Republic and the Cayman Islands.