Hurricane Melissa, the strongest tropical cyclone so far in 2025, has caused chaos for air travel, leading several Caribbean islands to shut down their airports and resulted in many flight cancellations in the region.
Melissa is a category 5 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale and has brought with it dangerous winds close to 300 km/h, along with severe storm surges and heavy rainfall, according to a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) statement released on October 28, 2025.
This hurricane is the strongest one to hit Jamaica since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 and is expected to “break many records”, according to WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. It is the strongest storm of the year, surpassing Typhoon Ragusa that swept across the Northwest Pacific in September 2025.
At the time of writing, Hurricane Melissa has moved past Jamaica, where it made destructive landfall, and has now hit Cuba with 120mph winds. After Cuba, the hurricane is predicted to move towards the Bahamas and Bermuda.
Hurricane Melissa viewed from sky
Footage shared on X shows Hurricane Melissa from an aircraft window.
Third pass through Melissa. GoPro in side window as different camera looking forward shooting in ultra high res 8k. Not sure when that might get processed as the file turned out ridiculous. Barely had HD space for it and MacBook Pro promptly chocked when I tried to edit it pic.twitter.com/3p430gPvZv
— Tropical Cowboy of Danger (@FlynonymousWX) October 27, 2025
Additionally, there was an incident related to the storm. Crew members from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, with the call sign TEAL 75, which is part of the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, announced on X that they faced severe turbulence while flying into the eye of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.
😳 Video from inside the plane of the U.S. Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, which flew inside the eye of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.
No Freaking Way 🤢 pic.twitter.com/uMrxUgG1T7
— JC Vollentine (@Theonlyjcvolly) October 29, 2025
The aircraft, which was operating from its forward base in Curaçao, experienced stronger-than-usual forces during the storm, leading to a precautionary inspection before resuming operations.
The 53rd WRS is a unit of the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi and focuses on tracking and studying intense tropical cyclones.
Hurricane Melissa shuts Caribbean airports
The powerful hurricane moved over Jamaica for several hours on October 28, 2025, leaving the island heavily damaged. Jamaican officials shut down the island’s main airports and issued emergency orders along with red alerts to ensure public safety.
Sangster International Airport (MBJ), located in the northwestern coast of Jamaica, has been closed since 12:00 local time on October 26, 2025. In a statement, the airport said that this closure is temporary and it will provide updates on when it will reopen after the storm passes. At the time of writing, the airport remains closed.
Footage circulating on social media shows extensive flooding at Sangster International Airport, with water leaking from damaged ceilings, significant infrastructure damage, and strong winds blowing through the terminal.
Footage from inside Sangster International Airport shows rain pouring through missing ceiling panels and flooding parts of the departure lounge after Hurricane Melissa ripped through western Jamaica earlier today.
The Category 5 storm made landfall in St Elizabeth around 11… pic.twitter.com/arykkXzMB7
— Jamaica Observer (@JamaicaObserver) October 29, 2025
Similarly, Norman Manley International Airport (KIN) located in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, is also closed. The airport stated it will inform passengers about reopening based on “assessments after the storm”.
In Cuba, the Ministry of Transportation has halted flight services in the eastern region. Antonio Maceo International Airport (SCU) in Santiago de Cuba and Frank Pais International Airport (HOG) in Holguin have closed their airspace from October 28 to October 30, 2025.
The ministry said that the hurricane may also affect other airports in Cuba, including Sierra Maestra Airport (MZO), Gustavo Rizo Airport (BCA), and possibly Ignacio Agramonte Airport (CMW), depending on the storm’s path.
The Airport Authority of the Bahamas has declared temporary closures in the southern and central areas due to Hurricane Melissa. Exuma International Airport (GGT) was closed at 20:00 local time on October 28, 2025, and should reopen at 14:00 on October 30, 2025. Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) remains operational.
Melissa triggers mass flight cancellations
Several major airlines flying to the Caribbean are also adjusting their schedules in the region, providing travel advisories and warnings for travelers.
American Airlines has issued a travel alert, saying it is closely monitoring Hurricane Melissa. The alert was released on October 24, 2025, and now applies to eight airports in the storm’s expected path.
These airports include Ocho Rios, Jamaica (OCJ); George Town, Bahamas (GGT); Holguin, Cuba (HOG); Kingston, Jamaica (KIN); Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ); Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (PLS); Santiago de Cuba, Cuba (SCU) and South Caicos, Turks and Caicos (XSC).
JetBlue has cancelled all flights to and from Kingston, Jamaica (KIN) and Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ) for October 28 and 29, 2025.
Southwest Airlines has also cautioned that the weather forecast from October 25 to November 1, 2025, could impact flights to Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ), and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (PLS), possibly leading to delays, diversions, or cancellations.
Delta Airlines has indicated that travel to, from, or through Kingston (KIN), Montego Bay (MBJ), and Providenciales (PLS) may be disrupted from October 25 to 30, 2025.
Virgin Atlantic said it has cancelled flights VS165 and VS166 on October 27 and 28, 2025, due to adverse weather from Hurricane Melissa.
