On November 3, 2026, the San Pedro Town Council on Belize’s Ambergris Caye issued a formal, unanimously backed resolution pushing back against potential plans by the John Briceño-led national administration to shutter the island’s long-operating John Greif II Municipal Airport. Local council leadership emphasized that the existing air hub is an irreplaceable lifeline for the island’s 15,000+ permanent residents, small and medium-sized local businesses, and the tourism sector that forms the backbone of San Pedro’s economy, noting that any sudden closure would risk disrupting critical emergency medical evacuations, regular supply deliveries, and tourist arrival flows that generate tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue for the local community. The council clarified that the proposed new airport concept is only one component of a broader, still unrefined master development framework for Ambergris Caye, with dozens of unmet planning, geotechnical, environmental, and regulatory hurdles that must be cleared before any formal proposal could even be tabled for official government review, and no final binding decision to close or relocate the current airport has been authorized to date. The position comes in response to recent public comments from Prime Minister John Briceño, who confirmed that exploratory conversations about replacing the aging municipal airport have been ongoing since 2020. Briceño, who also holds the dual portfolios of Minister of Civil Aviation and Minister of Finance, explained that passenger volumes flying into San Pedro have risen steadily year over year as the national Ministry of Tourism rolls out targeted global marketing campaigns to expand Belize’s international visitor base. He noted that the current John Greif II site is geographically constrained, with no available adjacent land to extend runways or upgrade terminal facilities to accommodate larger commercial aircraft, a limitation that will prevent the destination from scaling its tourism offerings to meet projected demand 5, 10, 15, and 20 years into the future. The Prime Minister added that local domestic and regional airlines have been included in preliminary stakeholder consultations, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has been commissioned to conduct a full feasibility study evaluating potential sites, construction costs, environmental impacts, and operational logistics for a new, expanded airport. Briceño stressed that the IDB’s final report has not yet been submitted to his office, and once received, it will be shared for extensive public input with the San Pedro Town Council, airline operators, local business associations, and island residents before any final administrative or legislative decision is made on the project. He emphasized that no irreversible steps have been taken to advance a closure of the existing airport, and the administration remains committed to balancing long-term national infrastructure needs with the immediate interests of the San Pedro community.