On Wednesday, May 21, 2026, low-cost U.S. carrier JetBlue completed its final commercial departure from Philip Goldson International Airport, ending its popular direct route connecting New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Belize City. This move delivers a second heavy blow to Belize’s tourism-reliant economy in just a few months, following closely on the heels of Spirit Airlines’ decision to terminate all Belize-bound service earlier this year.
JetBlue’s exit was not an unforeseen development. Back in February 2026, the airline publicly confirmed it would cut the Belize-New York route as a core component of its company-wide “JetForward” restructuring initiative. The strategic overhaul is designed to streamline the carrier’s route network, cut unnecessary operational costs, and guide the airline back to consistent profitability after a period of post-pandemic financial volatility.
For Belize, whose national economy depends heavily on international tourism and counts affordable, accessible air travel as one of its most critical infrastructure assets, the loss of two low-cost carriers in such a short timeframe has created tangible strain across the tourism ecosystem. Efrain Perez, president of the Belize Tourism Industry Association, highlighted the severity of the challenge in comments to reporters, noting that consistent growth in airlift capacity is directly tied to increases in tourist overnight stays, the primary driver of revenue for hotels, tour operators, local businesses and hospitality workers across the country.
“The departure of any airline is very critical for the tourism industry. We depend on increasing our airlift so that we can create more overnight stays,” Perez explained.
Despite the obvious concerns, Perez was careful to put the setback in context, emphasizing that Belize still maintains robust air connectivity with North America and broader global markets through a roster of established major international carriers. These include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Copa Airlines and Air Canada, all of which continue to operate regular routes to Belize. Perez also pointed to a recent positive development: Air Canada launched a new direct route from Montreal to Belize City, a connection that opens up convenient same-day travel options for passengers coming from multiple European destinations, expanding Belize’s access to the key European tourism market.
Perez added that both the Belize Tourism Board and the national Ministry of Tourism are currently working around the clock to court new air carriers, with the goal of replacing lost low-capacity routes and expanding overall airlift to the country. In a parallel move to offset the impact of reduced air access during the upcoming low travel season, national tourism authorities have launched a new targeted “green season” marketing campaign. The initiative encourages local hoteliers and hospitality providers to offer discounted accommodation rates to international visitors, with the aim of boosting booking volumes and softening the revenue dip that typically comes during the low-travel period.