No quick solution for Guatemalan flight ban

The ban on Belizean commercial airline flights into Guatemala continues and it appears that despite earlier optimism about an early end to the controversy it may be many months before service can be renewed. The problem remains the Guatemalan requirement that all airlines operating in that country be in possession of an Air Operator’s Certificate. Despite advanced warning and several extensions of the deadline Belizean airlines were unable to comply and the requirement was enforced on November fifteenth. The ban primarily affects the two Belizean airlines, Tropic Air and Maya Island Air, which each ran two scheduled daily flights to Flores, Peten. Those flights were used primarily by tourists visiting the ancient Maya site of Tikal and to a lesser extent by business people from both countries. The two airlines are making efforts to complete the required paperwork and while the new Guatemalan administration that takes office in January may provide some relief it appears that in the absence of political intervention it could be many months before the route will be reopened.