In the old days when a Guatemalan jet flew over Belize, the fear was that it carried bombs. Well, that wasn't the case today, this one brought only goodwill and the promise of better relations between these distant neighbors. Tikal jets is the new upstart in the Central American airline industry and the carrier flew its inaugural flight into Belize today. 7 News was at the VIP room for the launching ceremony and found that there's a time when business and confidence building are one in the same:
Jules Vasquez Reporting
When Tikal jet touched down at the PGIA for is inaugural flight this morning, it was more than just a new route, it's a symbol of hope for two nations that have long been locked in a historical dispute:
H.E. Fred Martinez – Belize's ambassador to Guatemala
"It's historic to begin with to have a Guatemalan flag carrier after a very long time of absence flying into Belize direct. It's very symbolic also as a political statement by both governments in saying that they do want the relations to improve and that they do want their peoples to visit each other and to get to know each other."
Juan Pablo Forno – Commercial Director, TIKAL Jets
"On a personal level I see Belize as an alliance. I see as two countries that can share their strengths in tourism, in business, in industry so I think this is a great moment for both countries."
H.E. Richard Lavers – British Ambassador to Guatemala
"I believe it's going to be hugely important in a practical way because it'll, as he said in his speech a few minutes ago, it'll help both side to appreciate each other and it's going to mean that many more Guatemalans will travel here to Belize and Vice Versa. That is very good that both sides will get to know each other it can only help to build confidence and understanding. I think that that is enormously important."
It's politically important, historically significant and all that....but, bottom line, is it good business?
Jules Vasquez
"One has the sense that it is a good gesture overtaking perhaps a notion of good business. Just looking initially at the rates and the fact that this route has never been tried before you get the sense that somebody wants to make something look good but maybe it won't look good on paper."
Fred Martinez
"I think that the reason it took a long time because Tikal had to be convinced on their own that the route would be profitable. The present route is not non stop from Guatemala city it's making a stop in Flores. The Tikal Jets fly from Flores every morning, continues. This is just and it would stay on the ground. This is a continuation of that fligh from Flores into Belize city. Their biggest market is the Guatemala City-Flores. There are about three flights a day between Tikal Jets and the other airlines that fly to Flores and they are always full. So this is a continuation into Belize, they are not expecting to the plane they expect to get a number of passengers that would make it profitable to continue on to Flores. And to proceed on to Guatemala City so its two destinations being shared to go into Guatemala City."
Juan Pablo Forno
"We believe there is great traffic between Belize and Guatemala to this moment we have over 20 thousand visitors from Belize to Guatemala but most of them have to travel by bus or by car and it's extremely long hours and very uncomfortable roads and the airfare tickets were extremely high. Almost four times more expensive than what we are offering. So we consider it to be a very good investment to start a route, twice a week, it's going to travel Guatemala-Flores, Flores Belize and then back Belize-Flores, Flores-Guatemala."
Jules Vasquez
"So it stops in Tikal, how does it work?"
Juan Pablo Forno
"It's a technical stop for 30 minutes but you are going to leave at 9:30 from Belize and you are going to arrive at 11:30 in Guatemala. So this is, I think, a first step by giving you a route which is extremely low cost which is round trip 129 dollars, one way it's 65 dollars. Also we are going to promote tourism by doing the flight from Belize to Tikal and back which is 25 dollars per one way ticket. So it's cheaper than the bus."
Cheaper than the bus and this is a DC-9 jet with seating for 123 passengers, a proposition that's hard to argue with, commercially and politically.
At startup, the flight will go twice weekly and eventually upgrade to three times weekly. Tikal jets also has flights direct from Europe and planners hope to establish a long sought after connection for Belize in this regard.