Government Signs Agreement for New Aviation Radar

It’s a long-awaited piece of instrument that was promised by the previous administration. Today, the Government Press Office has reported that the Minister of the Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, Andre Perez has signed an agreement for the acquisition of a new aviation primary radar and for the upgrading of its air traffic control center. The signing came during the two hundred and fiftieth Ordinary Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Central American Corporation of Air Navigation Services (COCESNA), which took place in Madrid, Spain on Sunday. The Minister and his C.E.O, Kennedy Carrillo attended the meeting, where the eight-point-five-million U.S dollar agreement was signed. With this piece of equipment, it is expected that narco-planes will be spotted in time before they head into Belize’s airspace, giving law enforcement sufficient time to be able to successfully intercept these planes with their cargo and occupants. The government says that Belize currently uses a secondary surveillance radar system that relies on signals transmitted by equipment on an aircraft to determine its location. The difference is that the new surveillance radar will emit a signal that bounces off aircraft to determine their positions, even in cases where aircraft are uncooperative or involved in illicit activities. In addition, the COCESNA board members have agreed to provide technical training, and other support, all aimed to ensure that Belize’s Civil Aviation regulations fully comply with the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.