New Departure Fee Coming to Belize’s Municipal Airports

Belizeans and visitors flying out of the country’s municipal airports will soon pay more for the trip. Cabinet has approved a ten-dollar aviation security fee for every departing passenger travelling through municipal airports. According to this week’s Cabinet brief, this is a move to bring the country’s airport security up to modern standards.

The Belize Airports Authority is responsible for the safety, security, and efficiency of civil aviation operations nationwide. According to Cabinet, “In recent years, aviation security requirements have evolved significantly due to heightened global security threats, advancements in screening technology, and stricter international compliance obligations.”

The new fee is meant to fund that catch-up. Government says it will help pay for more advanced screening procedures and a broader set of modernisation initiatives aimed at upgrading security infrastructure at municipal airports across the country.

For now, the fee applies specifically to departing passengers at municipal airports, separate from the international departure taxes already charged at the Philip Goldson International Airport.

The push for tighter aviation security also comes a year after one of Belize’s most harrowing aviation incidents, the Holy Thursday hijacking of a Tropic Air flight from Corozal to San Pedro, when an armed passenger attacked the crew mid-air and demanded the plane be diverted to the United States. Pilot Howell Grange, who was stabbed during the ordeal, managed to keep the aircraft under control until it landed safely. The event that reshaped how Belize’s aviation sector thinks about security and screening.