Belize Pushes to Expand Airlift as Departure Fees Raise Concerns

Belize’s tourism industry is scrambling to stay connected after losing two major budget carriers, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue, within months of each other. As those exits leave fewer options and higher stakes, the pressure is on to bring in new routes, and fast. Today, Tourism Minister Anthony Mahler says talks are underway with several airlines to fill the gap. But behind the scenes, industry players are raising a tough question: can Belize remain attractive to low-cost carriers, especially with high departure fees cutting into already thin margins? Here’s what Mahler had to say.

 

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism

“So JetBlue is one of them. Yes. And I can assure you that JetBlue wants to come back to Belize, and  that they’re going through their restructuring exercise as well, just like many other airlines. But we continue to work at a frenetic pace to get more airlines visit Belize because airlift is a lifeblood in parallel with the development of the infrastructure, hotel rooms and all of that. Bermuda Air announced several flights into Belize. That’s going to increase capacity, and we have other airlines wanting to come to Belize within the next year year and a half. And so it’s a slow process at times, but we’re doing our due diligence. We’re knocking on doors. We’re having the conversations. We’re providing the necessary incentives for them to feel comfortable to come to Belize and for the route to be sustained. Especially for the low-cost carriers and the ultra low-cost carriers who operate at a thinner margin for the legacy carriers, the it is okay. But you’re right. We can be more competitive in terms of our departure fee. And the research has shown that the lower departure fee, the more comfortable the airlines feel in coming to a destination. But we have no control of setting the departure fee.”

 

Isani Cayetano

“No kind of conversation where that is concerned in terms of negotiating for something lower, more reasonable?”

 

Anthony Mahler

“We can’t do anything about it. That’s the reality.”

 

Mahler further explained that Belize is pushing its primary tourism strength, which is the strategic geographic proximity to major markets and a diverse product that offers travelers both inland and marine adventures.

 

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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