U.S. Flight Cuts Threaten Belize’s Tourism Flow

Belize’s tourism sector may face ripple effects from sweeping flight reductions across the United States, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) moves to cut scheduled capacity by 10% in 40 high-volume air traffic zones starting Friday.

The cuts, announced Wednesday, are a direct response to staffing shortages caused by the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, now the longest in history. Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since October 1.

Major airports in cities like Miami, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, and New York, which are all key hubs for connecting flights to Belize, are among those affected. With airlines like United, Delta, and American shuffling schedules and cancelling regional routes, travellers heading to Belize may face delays, cancellations, or rerouting with little notice.

The President of the Belize Hotel Association, Reynaldo Malik, spoke with News Five, stating, “We’ve always said this; we’ve known this for years. Whether you’re talking about tourism or anything else in the Belizean economy, if North America sneezes, we’re going to catch a cold. Right now, that cold has edged up into a little bit of a serious flu.”

The Associated Press reports the cuts could affect up to 1,800 flights and 268,000 passengers daily, with no clear end date. As of Thursday morning, over 1,600 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. had been delayed, and nearly 50 cancelled, according to FlightAware. For Belize, which relies heavily on U.S. arrivals during the winter high season, the timing couldn’t be worse.

Despite the uncertainty, Malik emphasised the industry’s resilience: “It’s still not time for us to throw up our hands yet, or wave the white flag, or say we really need to do something. We always need to do something, whether we’re doing great, whether we’re doing modestly, or whether you’re doing bad. Every single day you get up and you have to figure out how you’re gonna keep people coming.”