PM Briceño Stands By Airport Plans Despite Local Opposition  

Another airport for Ambergris Caye, or answers to the problems residents are already facing? That’s the growing clash over government’s proposed airport development. Tourism stakeholders say San Pedro needs better roads, healthcare, infrastructure and waste management before another airport enters the picture. But Prime Minister John Briceño is pushing back, arguing that Belize cannot afford to wait until tomorrow’s demands become today’s crisis. So, is government planning ahead, or prioritizing the wrong development? Briceño says the proposal is still in the feasibility stage.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“It’s simply that we’ve been working with the, with IDB. They got a consultant. They’re working on a plan to see if we can if building a new airport is feasible. Pretty soon once we have something, then we are going to meet with them. We’ve not signed – oh I heard somebody with a ridiculous number of $600 million. I don’t know where are they get these things. And then when news organizations repeat those numbers, I think it’s irresponsible journalism. We have seen now the numbers of landings have been– and it continue to increase. The more planes land into San Pedro, I mean, it, it’s unfortunate that the runway can’t be extended. If we could have extended the runway, then we could then have bigger planes landing at the municipal airport in San Pedro where it is. But presently, we only have these, um, these Cessnas that can take probably about eleven or twelve passengers. And so these planes have to… As they land, they have to pick up again and go to – and land again, and then sometimes they are flying around the the town until there’s an opening for them to be able to land. We are concerned about that. We’re going to meet with the business community from San Pedro. We’re going to meet with the Hotel Association in San Pedro. The airlines, we have been meeting with the airlines. The owners of Tropic Air, Maya Island Air Astrum Helicopters, and then I think there’s another small airline in Belize. All of them have been a part of discussions. All of them have said, yes, they want to be a part of that. All of them are encouraging the government to have a PPP, where the private sector and the public sector come together to make that development. So I was surprised when a member, one of the airlines or one of the owners of the, one of the airlines started speaking out against the airport. Not once did that person, not once have that person ever objected to this.”

 

Despite Prime Minister Briceno’s position that the new airport is needed due to an increase in tourist visits to San Pedro, the data shows traffic has actually decreased in recent years. In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, one hundred and seventy thousand, eight hundred people visited San Pedro. In 2025, the island only had one hundred and fifty-eight thousand, five hundred visitors. This year that total is expected to be even less.  

 

 

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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