Belize moves to modernize its Airspace

Belize has inked a multi-million-dollar agreement with COCESNA to modern its airspace. Minister of the Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, Abner Andre Perez signed the agreement with the regional air navigation services in Madrid, Spain on Sunday. The agreement, valued at 8.5 million U.S. dollars, will assist Belize in acquiring a new primary radar and upgrades to the air traffic control centre. A release from the Ministry says that the new radar will quote “modernise [Belize’s] air navigation services, making them safer and more secure on a regional and international scale” Unquote. At this time, the country uses a secondary surveillance radar system that relies on signals transmitted by equipment on an aircraft to determine its location. The upgraded radar will emit a signal that bounces off aircraft to determine their positions, even in cases where aircraft are uncooperative or involved in illicit activities. The Ministry also says that COCESNA has agreed to provide the country with additional support to enhance technical capacity-building and legal reform efforts.