Altun Ha
Belize's most famous Maya ruin — Altun Ha's Temple of the Sun God yielded the largest carved jade head ever found in the Maya world. Private guided tours just 45km from Belize City.
BZE · MZBZ · Belize
Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport
Belize City — Belize City. 15 min to city center / 30 min to port.
Runway
2896m
Surface
Asphalt
Elevation
15m
Hours
24/7
Book your private flight from Belize City
Airport at a glance
Belize City — Belize
Belize is a small country with an unusually good airport situation: one international gateway, and everything else within forty minutes of it by air. Philip S. W. Goldson International sits at Ladyville, about 16 kilometres north of Belize City, and it is the point through which every international arrival in the country passes.
In 2024 it handled 1,229,000 passengers across 34,187 aircraft movements, which makes it the fifth busiest airport in Central America — remarkable for a country of under half a million people, and a direct measure of how much of Belize's economy runs on visitors.
Single runway, reported at 9,700 feet (approximately 2,957 metres), asphalt, at 5 metres elevation. ICAO: MZBZ. Coordinates: 17°32′21″N, 88°18′30″W. The airport covers 457 acres and is the hub for both Tropic Air and Maya Island Air, the two carriers that operate essentially the entire domestic network.
Five metres of elevation is worth noting for what it implies rather than what it constrains: BZE and Belize City itself sit low enough that flooding is a genuine long-term exposure, which is part of why the capital was moved inland to Belmopan.
Two practical points for travellers. Non-residents pay a departure tax of around US$55–56 on leaving the country, payable in cash in US dollars — cards are not accepted, and there is an ATM in the terminal dispensing US currency. And domestic flights carry strict baggage limits, typically in the region of 25 to 40 pounds per passenger. Both catch people out.
Getting there
Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport — Getting there
Belize City has two airports and they are not interchangeable.
BZE (Goldson) at Ladyville is the international gateway, about 30 minutes from the city centre. TZA (Sir Barry Bowen Municipal) is one mile from the centre and handles domestic traffic to the cayes.
Both serve the same destinations domestically. If you are connecting the same day from an international arrival, fly onward from BZE. If you are staying in Belize City or coming from it, TZA saves the run out to Ladyville at both ends.
Nearby
Things to do near Belize City
The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System was inscribed by UNESCO in 1996 and is the largest reef system in the northern hemisphere. It runs the length of the country a few kilometres offshore, and the entire domestic air network exists to get people onto it.
The Flores and Roatán connections are the two that build multi-country itineraries: Tikal to the west, the Bay Islands to the south, both under an hour from Belize City.
Near the airport. Altun Ha, 30 minutes north, is the most accessible Maya site in Belize and the source of the jade head of Kinich Ahau, the largest carved jade object found in the Maya world. The Community Baboon Sanctuary at Bermudian Landing is a farmer-run conservation project protecting black howler monkeys across private land — an early and genuinely successful model. Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the best birding wetlands in the country, with jabiru storks in the dry season. And the Belize Zoo, 45 minutes west, holds only native rescued animals and is far better than the description suggests.
Ladyville itself has grown up around the airport and the adjoining defence force base.
Great Blue Hole — Private Charter
The world's most famous dive site — a 300m-wide, 125m-deep underwater sinkhole in the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Private charter flights or helicopter excursions from Belize City.
Helicopter — Belize Barrier Reef
Aerial views of the world's second-largest barrier reef system from a private helicopter — the cayes, atolls and impossibly blue waters of the Belize Barrier Reef UNESCO World Heritage site.
Private Navigation — Cayes near Belize City
Day trips by private vessel from Belize City to nearby cayes — Caye Caulker, St. George's Caye and the coral gardens of the barrier reef, with snorkeling and fishing options.
Offshore Sport Fishing — Belize City
World-class offshore fishing from Belize City — marlin, sailfish and wahoo in the deep blue beyond the barrier reef, with experienced captains and premium sport fishing vessels.
Offshore Billfish — Belize Blue Water
Offshore sport fishing from Belize City — the barrier reef drops to 1,000m just 20 miles from shore. Private 46ft sport fisher targeting blue marlin, sailfish and wahoo in waters shared with whale sharks and dolphins.
Helicopter — Great Blue Hole & Atolls
The definitive Belize helicopter experience — private circuit from Belize City over the barrier reef, out to the three atolls and the Great Blue Hole (300m wide, 125m deep), then south to Lighthouse Reef and Glover's Atoll.
Freedive — Great Blue Hole
Freedive the Great Blue Hole — descending 30m+ on a single breath into the stalactite formations of the world's most famous dive site. Private liveaboard, certified freediving instructor, exclusive dive timing.
Where to stay
Hotels near Belize City
When to fly
When to fly
Belize runs on the Caribbean calendar: a dry season from roughly February to May and a wet season from June to November, with the heaviest rain in the south. Hurricane season runs June to November with peak risk August to October, and Belize has taken direct strikes — the 1961 Hurricane Hattie is why the capital moved.
BZE is an all-weather instrument field. The constraint is at the small strips, all of which are visual and daylight-only.
From $870
Fly from BZE to
San Pedro, Ambergris Caye · 16 min · $870Belmopan · 17 min · $870Corozal · 27 min · $870Dangriga · 18 min · $870Ciudad de Guatemala · 117 min · $13,700Independence / Savannah · 32 min · $930Placencia · 32 min · $930Punta Gorda · 48 min · $1,390San José · 193 min · $13,332San Pedro Sula · 67 min · $8,700Sarteneja · 27 min · $870
FAQ
Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport — Frequently asked questions
What is the runway length at Belize International (BZE)?
Reported at 9,700 ft (approximately 2,957 m) of asphalt at 5 m elevation. ICAO: MZBZ.
How far is BZE from Belize City?
About 16 kilometres, at Ladyville — roughly 30 minutes by road.
What is the difference between BZE and TZA?
BZE is the international gateway at Ladyville. TZA (Sir Barry Bowen Municipal) is one mile from the city centre and handles domestic traffic to the cayes.
Is there a departure tax in Belize?
Yes — around US$55–56 for non-residents, payable in cash in US dollars. Cards are not accepted.
Are there baggage limits on domestic flights?
Yes, and they are strict — typically 25 to 40 pounds per passenger.
How busy is Belize's airport?
1,229,000 passengers and 34,187 aircraft movements in 2024 — the fifth busiest airport in Central America.