The proposal for an international airport in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, continues to advance, with the site selected in the northern part of the island. Area Representative Honourable Andre Perez said the government has approved the project, and the airport will accommodate regional flights and private aircraft.
On February 17th, Perez said the project is part of an agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Social Security Board (SSB). The SSB owns the area identified for the airport’s construction. Perez explained that other areas were previously considered, including the Basil Jones area, but that it was too far north. “The best place, on the northwestern side of the island that we found is the area that the SSB has,” Perez said. “The designs are there and have been approved by IDB.”
Perez said the runway will be approximately 7,000 feet long and designed for charter flights, regional connections, and private jets.
He spoke about how lucrative this market could be for Ambergris Caye. “We want to have a fixed-based operator catering for private aircraft,” Perez explained. “There is a niche market of these types of clientele, who travel in their private jets and do not have time to stop at the Philip Goldson International Airport and then take a local flight to the island,” Perez said that once the international airport is constructed, private aircraft owners will be able to fly directly to Ambergris Caye from outside the country.
There are no details about when construction may begin; however, Perez said everything is in place at the moment. “I think everything was signed last year, and by July, everything should be happening,” Perez stated. He added that the project includes not only the international airport but also the development of the required infrastructure for the northern area of Ambergris Caye.
The proposal for an international airport on northern Ambergris Caye is not new; it was first mentioned in March 2009. At that time, a group of investors, accompanied by then Area Representative and Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Manuel Heredia Jr., visited the Basil Jones area for a routine inspection. The visit yielded no results, and the COVID-19 pandemic further delayed the project. No figures have been shared on the airport’s current cost, but at that time, the project’s estimated cost was around US$100 million.
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