Guatemalan President Denies Flight Over Belizean Airspace

Guatemala’s president, Bernardo Aréval, has denied that any Guatemalan military aircraft flew over Belizean territory last week, telling reporters “this flight did not take place,” and that his government has offered the plane identified in flight-tracking data to the Organization of American States (OAS) for inspection.

The denial follows a Thursday evening flight tracked by News 5 showing a Guatemalan Air Force aircraft, callsign FAG706, departing Guatemala City at 6:01 p.m. and making several passes near Lighthouse Reef Atoll before its signal was lost near Caye Caulker at 8:06 p.m. FlightAware and Flightradar24 identified the aircraft as a Pilatus PC-12 NG, registration 706.

Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had received “preliminary reports of the unauthorised presence” of the aircraft and warned that any such incursion “would be a violation of Belize’s sovereignty and will be countered appropriately. ” Guatemala’s Ministry of National Defence responded the same day with a general statement affirming that its armed forces operate within the law, without directly addressing the flight.

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Speaking publicly for the first time on the matter, the Guatemalan president said his government was caught off guard when the matter was raised at the United Nations General Assembly, prompting Guatemala to invoke its right of reply under UN procedural rules. He said no such flight occurred and suggested the report may have originated from a 17- or 18-year-old who used a flight-tracking app and claimed to have seen the aircraft.

The president said Guatemala has made the aircraft identified in the reports available to the OAS so its flight records can be reviewed, saying those logged records would show the actual route flown.

The president pointed to a standing OAS office in the adjacency zone between Guatemala and Belize, which he said exists to facilitate contact between the two countries and monitor developments in the area. He said the office issues regular reports and that most incidents in the zone are minor.

He closed by reiterating that the reported flight “did not take place” and said Guatemala is awaiting verification of that through the offered inspection.

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