A Trio of Big Airline News For Belize

Tropic Air commemorated its 40th birthday December 11th, and the airline celebrated with customers. I missed the festivities the following day as I was already slated for two events – a salon party followed by a deli and real estate event. I got my celebration in a day early with a flight to Belmopan and back.

While flying from Belmopan to San Pedro, I had a chance to get some great footage of the new Caye Caulker terminal and a cool runway shot. We were originally supposed to stop at Belize City Municipal Airport but got rerouted. I love flying in Belize, it helps me remember how much open space we have.

For a mid-sized building, the new terminal looks quite big from above.

I love a good runway picture to bring back memories. This one reminds me of the time a couple of my friends and I got to drive on the airstrip.

I love the angles and the simple design of the new terminal. I am also happy people are still building good looking low-level places to help balance out the monoliths.

Birthday Celebrations

Customers flying with Tropic Air on Wednesday, December 11th were treated to refreshments, souvenirs, and special flight discounts in honor of the popular airline’s Birthday Celebration. I was happy to find that my editor Shirlee made use of discounted flights to Corozal for a quick trip. Here is her account of the San Pedro airport fun.

It’s a Great Party When you Get a T-shirt – by Shirlee Arnould

December 11 was a perfect day to fly on Tropic Air. Firstly I got the flight cheaper than usual from Tropics “Deals to Go” special.
As I walked into the San Pedro terminal I noticed the staff had on 40th Anniversary t-shirts and it reminded me it was their milestone day. 

A very friendly young lady named Janine called me over to her station as soon as I walked in.
After I checked in Janine told me that they were celebrating and there were refreshments upstairs (which is where I usually go to wait for my flights anyway). The lounge area was decorated with balloons and a huge “40” hanging down from the ceiling.

I was greeted immediately and offered a snack and a beverage. I was also handed a very cool Tropic Air Bag with a cool pin, bottle opener, a discount coupon and an anniversary t-shirt (I’m all about t-shirts).  I realized I had received an extra-large so I asked the ladies if they might be able to find a smaller size, which they graciously proceeded to do. After taking my pictures and thanking them for the snack and goodies, I went to the washroom to changed into my new t-shirt.

All pictures were taken on Shirlee’s iPhone.

Airline History Courtesy of Tropic Air

“The mission of Tropic Air for the past 40 years has been to build the tourism industry of Belize with convenient dependable air service throughout the country and beyond. We would not be here today without the pioneering spirit and unwavering support of our colleagues in the Belize tourism industry” said Steven Schulte, Tropic’s CEO. “We help to connect families, fulfill vacation dreams and make business travel easier so that we can all grow and prosper. It’s been a wonderful 40 years, and we look forward to many more.”

“From that first pioneering customer who flew with us in 1979 to a rough landing strip in San Pedro, to the hundreds of thousands who will choose to fly with us in 2020, on more than 200 flights a day to 15 destinations around the region, on 19 aircraft – we thank them all,” added John Greif III, President. “From humble beginnings, we have grown to become an international airline and a strong contributor to the growth of Belize. The story of Tropic Air mirrors the story of the growth of our customers, and of tourism in Belize. Of that, we are most proud.”

New Orange Walk Schedule

Effective, December 4th, 2019, Tropic Air will be amended its flight schedule between San Pedro- SPR and Orange Walk (Tower Hill – ORZ). Twice daily, scheduled service will now operate five days a week with passenger, Lamanai tour and cargo service from Mondays to Fridays.

Please note the Orange Walk Station will now be open from 7:00 am through 4:00 pm on weekdays.

A unique thing I enjoy about flying into Orange Walk is the tall sugarcane fields across from the airport.

I also like the long country road access to the Tropic Air and of course famed Orange Walk tacos.

Additional Aircraft for Tropic Air

In January 2020, Tropic Air will welcome a Beech 1900D twin-engine airliner to its fleet, as well as open a new more spacious terminal in Caye Caulker.

With 40 years of service, Tropic Air currently flies over 200 daily scheduled flights with 19 aircraft to 15 destinations in Belize, Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. Tropic Air now employs over 360 professionals and will carry over 300,000 passengers and 425,000 items of freight system-wide this year.

Tropic Air is a member of the Latin American Airlines Association (ALTA), and recently successfully completed IATA’s Industry Standard Safety Audit for the third time, after joining the program in 2015. Tropic also won the Traveller’s Choice Award in the Specialty and Leisure Category in Latin America in the 2019 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards for Airlines.

For those of you who may not have seen the old Caye Caulker Tropic Air terminal here is a throwback from 2009.

Remember while I can no longer offer a tacogirl tropic air discount (since 2018), please keep using flight code for a cause horizon and help crushing cancer (at no extra cost to you.) The Belize Cancer Center in Dangriga subsidizes over 10,000 a month to 55 patients who cannot afford treatment. Using flight code helps people who are strongly in need of medical assistance.