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Courtney Menzies went there today to get the details of their expansion project. Here is that story.

This article posted by islands.com was a jolt for the overnight tourism sector after it ranked Belize's Phillip Goldson International Airport as one of the region's worst. The article states that while Belize is, quote, "a slice of paradise," the airport experience leaves much to be desired.

The article rehashes some complaints from a 2015 survey, such as the airport being filthy, cramped, and congested, with long delays.

However, half through the article, it swiftly moves on to the expected transformation that PGIA will see in the upcoming years. The chairman of Aero Dispatch Services, Kal Habet, says that the headline is a bit misleading and those criticisms aren't unique to Belize.

Kal Habet, Chairman, Aero Dispatch Services
"I would say I wish they had titled it differently so that the person that actually reads the article could know what they were going to get into, or those that just, as a lot of us do, just read a headline and move on could know the full scope of the article."

"The thing about the aviation industry is that it is continuously advancing and changing and growing and the market is organic in a way. It's forever developing so when you think you've already hit the mark, you may be way off because there's more factors and variables coming into play. So to highlight those items that you mentioned or maybe that were stated in the article itself, I would say as somebody that's been very fortunate enough to travel to airports on different continents, I've experienced those things in other parts of the world. In other airports, in first world countries. So that's not unique to Belize."

But for Belize - where tourism accounts for the majority of the country's foreign exchange earnings and entities like BTB are constantly promoting the country as an ideal destination - why has the airport not grown with the demand? Habet explained that the pandemic set their plans back.

Kal Habet, Chairman, Aero Dispatch Services
"We saw an extreme amount of growth between 2015 through 2019, and we were riding this wave. All of these improvements were already on the way already planned. And then thereafter we had a complete shutdown. And what does that mean for a country like Belize? I mean that's total closure because we live and breathe and depend on this industry, tourism. So this airport is a lifeline to the country itself. And so when we closed down, that really did put a full stop on everything that we had planned and what we were doing."

"So it took time to come back. But I'll tell you, we see a tremendous amount of growth coming out of it."

And that growth starts with tens of millions of dollars being invested into the airport:

Kal Habet, Chairman, Aero Dispatch Services
"Well, the airport, like I said is investing over $250 million into the expansion of the airport so that goes into numerous, things as far as, the apron expansion, which is going to assist with additional parking for more aircraft, which is going to add additional revenue for more flights coming into the country. You have to look at the terminal building. The airport's going to expand on both sides, the western and eastern side, which is going to add to those passenger comforts, lighten that congestion as people always allude to. And then even a new taxiway, which is going to be from a safety standpoint, which is always our number one focus."

"So over the next, year to two years, right now, if you come by the airport, I mean, it's no secret there's piles being driven. There's a significant amount of the apron has already been completed. So it's a multi-phase project. Phase one is already done. Phase two and phase three have been amalgamated. So both of those are happening now simultaneously. Phase four, probably within the next year and a half to two years. But everything has been condensed because we understand that right now we're seeing this extreme growth."

And Habet says the growth of the airport will coincide with the growth of air traffic flowing into the country:

Kal Habet, Chairman, Aero Dispatch Services
"People have always talked about, you know, other parts of the Caribbean or other parts of Latin America. But Belize is kind of like this still newly discovered country. And how unique we are seeing that we are both Latin American and Caribbean. We're a beautiful mix. And so with all of that excitement, yes, I do foresee additional airlines. I do foresee additional routes from existing airlines."

Air carriers also consider Belize to be one of the most expensive airports in the region - but, that is another story for another time.