Tropic Air, the Airline of Belize, continues to grow and expand, adding a direct flight to Chetumal Quintana Roo, Mexico. The Belizean local carrier held its first inaugural flight between Belize’s Philip S.W Goldson International Airport (PGIA) and Chetumal International Airport on Monday, January 16th. The addition of this flight will not only make Chetumal, a favorite destination for Belizeans, more accessible, but it will allow for easier flight connections to other parts of Mexico and the world.
The first non-stop flight #6500, left Belize shortly after 7AM, following a short ceremony including Tropic Air’s President John Grief III, along with Mexican Ambassador to Belize His Excellency Carlos Melendez, officially opened the flight. They were later joined on the flight by members of the Belizean press corps, San Pedro Town Mayor Daniel Guerrero, and National President of the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), and recently elected 13th Senator, Osmany Salas.
It was a historic moment for the city of Chetumal, as this was the first ever international flight to touch down at their airport. The flight was greeted with an official inaugural ceremony inside the airport. Present at the event were representatives from the business community of Chetumal, members of the Mexican Tourism Ministry, dignitaries representing the office of Quintana Roo’s Governor Carlos Gonzalez, Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico, His Excellency Oliver del Cid, and a host of media and invited guests.
Grief expressed his satisfaction on the new flight service now that it is a reality, and thanked the Mexican authorities involved in the process. “We see a lot of potential here in Chetumal,” said Grief. “This flight is not just very important for quick access to this city, but also for international flight. Passengers heading to Mexico City can easily do that by taking this flight and also passengers who may want to travel to Belize and other parts of the Central American region can take advantage of this new service between Chetumal and Belize.” 
At the time of the ceremonies a flight was enroute to Mexico City via Interjet Airline. It was reported that over 20 Belizeans were on that flight. Some of them had spent the night in Chetumal, while others drove early for the flight to the Mexican capital. Those Belizean passengers gave a thumbs up to the new service from Belize as they boarded Interjet’s flight. According to Grief, Belizeans are now fully aware of the new service and it is expected that they will take advantage of it.
According to Mayor Guerrero the new flight will also make Ambergris Caye more accessible for visitors. “This flight will be a bridge for other connecting flights coming from Mexico City giving passengers the quick advantage of getting to Belize, and then to San Pedro,” said Guerrero. “This is definitely a plus for the increase in tourism on our island.”
Ambassador del Cid believes that the new flight will greatly benefit Belize, in that the country will experience an increase in traffic coming from Mexico. At the same time, he feels Mexico will also notice an increase in Belizean tourism. Mexican Ambassador to Belize, Melendez shared similar sentiments, adding that the opportunity for business growth is a bonus.
Salas, President of the BTIA shared the excitement for the opportunities this flight brings. “We have been working very closely with our Belizean Ambassador in Mexico to continue promoting Belize in Mexico City and around Mexico itself,” said Salas. “This is a good opportunity for both Belize and Mexico and we look forward to good results.”
Representatives from the Mexican authorities believe that with the new flight from Belize it will serve as stimulation for trade and tourism growth between the two countries. They applauded Grief and Tropic Air for their new venture, and committed to work hand in hand with Tropic Air.
The flight operates Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from the PGIA in Belize City and returns the same day. Reservations can be made via www.tropicair.com or by emailing at [email protected].
Flights between Belize and Chetumal are scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The schedule from the Belize City’s Philip S. W Goldson International Airport to Chetumal is:
