The little airport that drops you right in the middle of San Pedro Town may not be around forever. A 2025 Inter-American Development Bank document lays out plans to replace the John Greif II Municipal Airport with a new facility near Secret Beach, north of town on Ambergris Caye. Construction is pencilled in for 2027 to 2029, with the downtown strip closing around 2030.
It's a change anyone who has flown into the island will feel. Right now, Cessna Caravans shuttle travellers between the mainland and a runway minutes on foot from San Pedro's restaurants, bars and hotels. The new northern site would move arrivals several miles from the town centre, with golf carts and water taxis likely becoming part of the arrival routine.
There's more ambition here than a simple relocation. The plan anticipates an expansion in 2041 that would let the airport handle some international traffic currently routed through Philip S.W. Goldson International near Belize City — in theory, private planes and high-end visitors could one day clear customs on Ambergris Caye itself. Area Representative Andre Perez has said the IDB accepted a design meeting International Civil Aviation Organization standards, and the facility would be run by the Belize Airports Authority, possibly via a concession.
Financing is the open question. Officials are seeking consultants to gauge private-sector interest in a public-private partnership, and a business case flagged a funding gap needing government support. No construction financing has been confirmed, and the total cost hasn't been disclosed. The preferred site belongs to the Belize Social Security Board, and once the airport moves, the downtown land could be sold off for real estate development to help pay for it all.
Not everyone is celebrating. Residents worry about emissions from extra flights and the impact on the marine environment that underpins both the fishing industry and tourism. Downtown businesses have their own concerns: passengers arriving in the town centre spend money in taxis, shops and restaurants, and shifting arrivals north could redistribute that spending — or drain it. The project is framed under the Ambergris Caye Vision 2045 development plan, which promises sustainable growth, but details on how downtown would be supported during the transition remain thin.
For travellers, nothing changes yet. Tropic Air and Maya Island Air continue their frequent hops from the mainland, and the downtown airport should operate for several more years. But if you're planning an Ambergris Caye trip later this decade, expect the arrival experience to look different: possibly direct international or private flights to the island, a longer transfer to town, and a revamped San Pedro waterfront where the runway used to be. Watch this space — a smoother, more direct route to the reef could be coming, as long as the money and the environmental questions get sorted.
