Coastal Pressures Rise as Perez Drives Airport Plan

Dredging concerns and the early arrival of sargassum are already demanding Andre Perez’s attention along Belize’s coastline, but he is also steering another major development on Ambergris Caye: a multimillion‑dollar international airport. As the Ministry of Blue Economy rushes to deploy barriers and long‑term strategies to manage the seasonal seaweed influx, Perez is simultaneously championing plans for a new northern air facility, one he says will attract high‑end private jet travelers and generate significant revenue for the island. With funding, land, and design work already secured, the project marks a sharp pivot from coastal pressures to ambitious infrastructure expansion.

 

Andre Perez, Area Representative, Belize Rural South

“It is going to happen. That’s for sure. In the next less than three or four years, we’re going to start to develop this new international airport. It’s going to be catering not only for Ambergris Caye, but I did mention at the very beginning, we’re talking about fixed base operations, which is very important. And I did mention as well, I’m highlighting how the Bahamas, how they really do benefit from this fixed base operations, whereby they have a lot of private aircrafts. These wealthy families who like to travel for convenience, to travel to the places where they want to land quickly and want to reach their condos. So, we believe that providing that industry in San Pedro and having these private aircrafts come to San Pedro in the next fifteen to twenty minutes, they clear customs, immigration, BAHA, and the next fifteen to twenty minutes, they’re right there in their condo. And then the service of these aircrafts staying there for security reasons, there’s a cost to stay every day. But these people don’t mind. They are willing to pay for every day to leave their private aircrafts on that airport. And there’s a fee for it. So there’s money to be made. In that context, I believe that the international airport can do that. At the same time also, it will design for the local airlines that they will have to bring in larger aircrafts. Because as you know, the PGIA is actually the busiest airport in the entire Central America. So what that means that they have more landings and taking offs than any other airport. But that’s a fact. But the reason is because you have Tropic Air having fourteen passengers taking off and landing. But it adds. So eventually, they will have to look at perhaps these aircrafts that are called ATRs that handle forty passengers or so. So in one trip from San Pedro, from PGIA to San Pedro, we’re talking about forty passengers in one flight as opposed to one flight that goes to fourteen passengers. The current runway that we have in San Pedro cannot handle that kind of airship. So, it’s about getting bigger flights and becoming more efficient.”

 

Paul Lopez

“How far along are we with the process? Have we secured land, funding, and material perhaps already for it?”

 

Andre Perez

“Well, in terms of the funding that has been secured, remember the development that was going to be for the airport, for the roads, for infrastructure, lights, the sewer system as well, water in that place there. The funding has been secured. The land has been secured as well. That is going to be working along with the Social Security lands. The land has been identified. The design has been made already that has met the standards of what IDB has accepted and they liked it very much. So we’re talking about, I believe it’s a seven to eight thousand feet runway. So very much it’s on there. I believe in the next two, three years, the development is going to be happening.”

 

Perez says he’s moving full speed ahead on the new Ambergris Caye airport, with everything already lined up to start construction in the next few years.

 

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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