A plan to build a new airport on Ambergris Caye has run into resistance from local tourism stakeholders, according to Ambergris Today. The opposition, reported on 3 November 2026, centres on concerns within the business and tourism community in San Pedro, the island's main town and the gateway for most visitors to Belize's most popular destination.
Ambergris Caye currently relies on San Pedro Airport, a small strip right at the edge of town that handles short hops from Belize City's Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport. Those 15-minute flights, plus water taxis, are how nearly everyone arrives. Any proposal for a new or expanded airfield naturally raises big questions on an island where land is scarce, real estate is valuable, and the tourism economy depends heavily on the laid-back character of town and coastline.
For stakeholders, the debate is about balance: better access could bring more visitors and lower fares, but locals are weighing what construction means for the environment, traffic, and the small-island feel that draws people to Ambergris in the first place. Similar tensions have played out before on the island over development along its shores, so this airport proposal lands in an already sensitive conversation about how much growth San Pedro can absorb.
For travellers, nothing changes right now. San Pedro Airport continues to operate as usual, and the airlines flying the Belize City route — with quick connections to the island — are unaffected while the proposal is debated. But if you know Ambergris Caye, or it's on your list for diving the Belize Barrier Reef, this is a story worth following. The outcome could shape how you arrive, where you stay, and what the island feels like over the next decade.
Anyone booking a trip in the near term should simply plan as before: fly into Belize City, take the short hop or the ferry to San Pedro, and enjoy it while the island decides its future.
