Belize Government Outlines Case for New San Pedro Airport on Ambergris Caye

The Government of Belize and the Belize Airport Authority have set out their case for a proposed new airport in San Pedro. They say it would prepare Ambergris Caye for continued growth and ease space and capacity constraints at the existing island airport.

In a statement, they said the current facility was built when passenger numbers, aircraft movements and tourism arrivals were considerably lower. Growth in the island's population and visitor arrivals, they said, is creating challenges for aircraft operations, passenger processing, expansion and long-term safety planning.

The government said the new airport would provide additional operating space, improved terminal facilities and greater capacity for future passenger demand. It also anticipates better connectivity, stronger resilience during emergencies and natural disasters, and new opportunities for tourism, investment and employment.

In June, Belize Rural South Area Representative Andre Perez said the airport is designed for land owned by Social Security and that the plan has been accepted by the IDB, which was impressed with a design that complies with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. He said it is meant to handle domestic, regional, commuter and international flights as well as private jets, including Gulfstream and Learjet aircraft. It would sit in the middle of Ambergris Caye with all airlines in one terminal, and Perez said it forms part of a $200 million plan.

The government said discussions have begun with airline partners and that residents, businesses and others who depend on air transportation are being invited to give their views. The statement also acknowledges concerns about the eventual closure of the existing San Pedro airport as part of a transition to the new facility, and says any such move would require careful planning and consultation with airlines, regulatory authorities, businesses and island residents.

Island airports built for an earlier, smaller tourism market tend to hit the same ceiling: terminal space, apron room and processing capacity fall behind visitor growth, and expansion on a constrained site becomes harder than building elsewhere. The San Pedro proposal follows that logic, replacing a legacy field with a single ICAO-compliant terminal sized for mixed traffic.

For operators the economics turn on the transition rather than the design. Putting domestic carriers, regional and commuter services and private jets under one roof changes how slots, ground handling and fees are negotiated, and a closure of the existing airstrip would force every user onto the new facility's terms. That is why the government's stated consultation with airlines and regulators carries more weight than the capacity figures.

The next milestone is the outcome of the airline discussions already begun and the public input the government has invited. The terms and timing of any closure of the existing airport, which the government says would need careful planning and consultation, would show how the transition is meant to work for the carriers and businesses that depend on it.