Phillip Goldson Airport Criticised as One of Region’s Worst

Belize City’s Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport (PGIA) has come under fire as it earns the reputation of one of the region’s worst airports. Nicole Cord-Cruz, in a recent article in Island.com, said that while Belize is a “slice of paradise,” the airport experience is lacking. “The airport experience leaves much to be desired,” Cord-Cruz stated. 

According to the article, Belize’s PGIA ranked fourth on Sleeping in Airports’ list of the worst airports in the Caribbean and Central America, though it has not appeared on the list in subsequent years.

Back in July of this year, Prime Minister John Briceño announced the coming of three new airports just over two months ago. At the twelfth annual North American, Central American, and Caribbean Directors of Civil Aviation Meeting, Briceño said, “The goal of our government, as stated in Plan Belize, our medium-term development plan is to expand the P.G.A., our International Airport, with a U.S. one hundred twenty-five million investment, to a new airport in San Pedro, a national airport next to PGIA to handle and to manage local air traffic, and a new airport in here down south in Placencia. All of them to be able to handle larger planes within Belize and, who knows, probably handle short regional flights.”

Chairman of Aero Dispatch Services, Kal Habet, said recently that PGIA’s project expansion is a ‘multi-phase project,’ with phase one completed already and subsequent phases underway to take effect. Habet cited the $250 million investment to overhaul the international airport to meet the growing passenger demands.