AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Talk Belize Travel Tropic flights to Flores resume on July 1st 2008

Tour operators in the Peten region were up in arms over the actions of their dgac. Tropic Air has been servicing the Peten (Tikal) region safely & reliably, incident & accident free for over 27 yrs. NONE of the Guate operators can say that.
There may be some truth to what "shuffles" says. It is rumored that a certain dgac officer has ties with a Guate airline operator.
Issue should be resolved this week.

I asked Maya, who are also blocked. All they could say was that it was "something political".

Guatemala bans Belizean commercial flights
Belize's two local airlines are feeling the pinch following the banning of Belizean commercial flights into Guatemala. According to spokespersons for Tropic and Maya Island Air, the ban, which was instituted on November fifteenth, involves the upgrading of Guatemala's civil aviation standards: specifically their requirement that all airlines flying to the country have a valid Air Operator's Certificate. Although Belize's local airlines, which each fly twice daily to Flores, Peten, were notified six months ago, they have not been able to complete the necessary technical paperwork. Following several extensions, the Guatemalans finally enforced the new regulations and since Thursday Maya and Tropic have stopped flying across the border. Ironically, while the airlines have been forced to refund fares and with tourists either cancelling or arranging ground transport, the biggest loser has been the tourist industry in Peten which has been deprived of around thirty visitors per day, largely to the ancient Maya site of Tikal. Late word is that following negotiations between the two countries' civil aviation authorities, a compromise is being worked out to give the Belizeans interim landing rights and more time to comply with the regulations. At news time, however, the flight ban remained in effect.

The fact is that Guate dgac has deemed that the BZ aviation authorities do not have proper oversight. Both Tropic Air and MayaIsland Air comply with ICAO standards.
It is policially motivated.

No quick solution for Guatemalan flight ban

The ban on Belizean commercial airline flights into Guatemala continues and it appears that despite earlier optimism about an early end to the controversy it may be many months before service can be renewed. The problem remains the Guatemalan requirement that all airlines operating in that country be in possession of an Air Operator's Certificate. Despite advanced warning and several extensions of the deadline Belizean airlines were unable to comply and the requirement was enforced on November fifteenth. The ban primarily affects the two Belizean airlines, Tropic Air and Maya Island Air, which each ran two scheduled daily flights to Flores, Peten. Those flights were used primarily by tourists visiting the ancient Maya site of Tikal and to a lesser extent by business people from both countries. The two airlines are making efforts to complete the required paperwork and while the new Guatemalan administration that takes office in January may provide some relief it appears that in the absence of political intervention it could be many months before the route will be reopened.

http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=19695

On Channel 5's Friday night broadcast, they interviewed the Transport Minister and he said he ex[ected the current ban on flights to Flores will be lifted within "days."
Also the Channel 5 reporter said she interviewed and unnamed official from one of the airlines and said they told her as soon as this matter is cleared up they are going to move agressively to get flights going between Belize and Cancun, Mexico.

Flights between Cancun and Belize would be amazing! But they have been saying that for years...

Woh -- depending on the pricing, that could be a huge deal! Columbus-based Skybus has already gotten approval to have non-stop service from Columbus to Cancun. I may actially be able to travel more than once a year if CUN to BZE service begins!

any updates on the status of flights to Flores...... I'm guessing no changes yet?

No changes, no flights.