Government works to resolve the disinvestment of Tropic Air in Punta Gorda

Prime Minister John Briceño says government is working to address the threatened loss of scheduled air service to Punta Gorda, following Tropic Air’s decision to withdraw from the route.  The airline has announced that its Punta Gorda station will close on November 1. Tropic says the service has sustained financial losses and is no longer commercially viable. It also cited uncertainty surrounding proposed changes to domestic aviation infrastructure as a factor in its decision.  The withdrawal would leave Punta Gorda without its existing scheduled airline connection. Tropic has acknowledged that, for an extended period, it has been the only airline providing scheduled service to the community.  According to the PM, government is working on resolving the matter.

John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize:  “Well, what happened is that Tropic Air made a commercial decision. They’ve been losing money. You can’t force a company to run, a private company to be able to continue to run and they’ve been losing money. Maya has expressed interest. So presently they’re meeting with the CEO and also probably the people at BAA. And I hope that by this week or early next week, the CEO can be able to tell me what are the terms and then see if it is something that we can work with.”

The Belize Tourism Industry Association has called for coordinated discussions involving government, the Belize Tourism Board, Tropic Air and Toledo stakeholders. The association says the consequences extend beyond tourism to residents, businesses and the wider district economy.  BTIA is also urging stronger promotion of Toledo to build demand and help make air service sustainable over the long term./