Belize Defence Officials Detail Guatemalan Military Aircraft’s Flight Path

When we left you on Friday, Belize was seeking an explanation from Guatemala. Defence officials had reported that a Guatemalan military aircraft entered Belizean airspace the night before. Defence Ministry CEO Retired Major Francis Usher explained what officials found when they examined the flight.

Francis Usher, CEO, Ministry of National Defence: “There is a process for to get airspace clearance, but no, there is no airspace clearance for this flight.”

Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “So the type of aircraft and we’ve been advised is that this type of aircraft is used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes. It doesn’t really have any attack features. But again, that is the information that we are receiving.”

Francis Usher, CEO, Ministry of National Defence: “We pulled the data from our primary and secondary radars that we have for the country which are internationally recognized. And what we found was that an aircraft, a Guatemalan Air Force aircraft with the registration or tail number Foxtrot Alpha Gulf 706 or F-A-G 706 did enter our airspace at 7:29 p.m. local time or 0129 Zulu time on the 24th of September Belize time, of course, and it entered from the east at an altitude of 4,000 feet. It began circling in the vicinity of Lighthouse Reef. In between there are markers, aviation markers on the aviation maps, we call them fixes. They circled in between the Lighthouse reef and the aviation fix called KIRAP, K-I-R-A-P. And they began circling as if though they were looking for something. At approximately 8:07 p.m. Belize time the aircraft fell off of the radar system, the secondary radar system, which indicates or should indicate to us that it turned off its transponder. But even if you fall off the secondary radar we can still track you using the primary radar so we were able to pick them up on the primary radar and we continued following them. They were still in Belizean airspace and at approximately 8:40, so one hour and 10 minutes after they initially entered Belizean airspace, they departed Belizean airspace to the south. So they entered from the east, just east of Lighthouse Reef, circled in that area and departed south through the, or south past the Sarstoon River.”

Usher said the aircraft remained in Belizean airspace for an hour and ten minutes. Officials checked its type, altitude and speed and determined it was not an attack aircraft. He said Belize took action after those checks, but would not say what that involved, citing national security.

Foreign Affairs CEO Oscar Arnold said Belize was seeking an explanation through official channels. He also made a distinction about a statement Guatemala issued on Friday: it addressed social media reports based partly on an amateur flight-tracking app. It was not a response to Belize’s formal complaint.  On Saturday, Prime Minister Briceño raised the incident at the UN General Assembly. He spoke about Belize’s relationship with Guatemala as the two countries prepare for oral hearings in their territorial case before the International Court of Justice.

John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “Mr. President for 45 years after independence Belize continues to pursue the peaceful settlement of its territorial disputes with Guatemala and with Honduras. Belize has chosen and will always choose law over force. Belize informs this assembly of a serious breach of international law committed on the night of 23rd, September, 2026, when a Guatemala military aircraft entered Belize’s sovereign airspace and intentionally disabled its transponder. This act violates the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, customary norms governing state aircraft, and the inviability of territorial sovereignty protected under Article 2.4 of the United Nations. This incursion is not an isolated one. It forms a part of a continuing pattern in which Guatemalan state vessels and personnel operate unlawfully in Belizean territorial waters of the Sarstoon River which forms part of Belizean’s border with Guatemala, in defiance of obligations, binding on both parties to refrain from any action capable of aggravating or extending the dispute presently before the International Court of Justice. The case is scheduled for hearing in February, 2027. Guatemala’s conduct risks prejudicing the court’s authority and undermines the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes enshrined in Article 33 of the Charter. Belize therefore calls upon Guatemala to immediately cease all incursions by air, land, or sea, to comply fully with its obligations under the UN Charter, the Chicago Convention and the OAS confidence-building measures and to respect the integrity of the ICJ process. Belize further requests heightened monitoring by the United Nations and the OAS to ensure that no member state uses military force or intimidation to influence judicial proceedings. We await the court’s judgment with confidence and we look forward to borders that are respected by all.”

Guatemala then used its right of reply. Its representative said the reported flight “never happened” and accused Belize of spreading misinformation for domestic political purposes. Guatemala also argued that the General Assembly was not the place to raise the complaint. It said it would ask the Organization of American States office in the Adjacency Zone to investigate, and offered to provide flight records and make the aircraft identified in the allegation available for inspection.

Guatemalan UN Representative: “The delegation of Guatemala exercises its right of reply in reference to the statement of John Briceño, the Prime Minister of Belize, in today’s general debate. We would like to note the following. Guatemala is a country that is committed to international law and we are a firm promoter of the peaceful settlement of disputes and we believe in the effectiveness of multilateral mechanisms. In that framework, we have submitted our territorial claim against Belize to the ICJ. Guatemala categorically rejects the serious accusation that a plane of the Guatemalan Air Force overflew the territory of Belize. This flight never happened. At all times, Guatemala has respected its obligations on the basis of the UN Charter including Article 2, paragraph 4. We recall and we would like to tell Belize that there are already mutually agreed upon monitoring mechanisms such as the one in the office administered by the Organization of American States in the aforementioned area and we will be asking that office to investigate this post incident and for this we will submit all relevant reports and even the plane in question. Both states have recognized the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to put an end to this territorial insular and maritime dispute. Guatemala deeply regrets that Belize uses this forum to spread misinformation, using this territorial dispute with Guatemala as an instrument for domestic policy. This is a flagrant violation of the 2005 agreement and undermines the confidence building measures. The General Assembly is not the appropriate form to discuss issues that have currently been referred to the International Court of Justice, in a case whose oral hearings will be held at the beginning of 2027. As we have pointed out in several occasions, we will comply with the court’s decision in good faith. Guatemala reiterates its commitment to strengthen its bilateral relations with beliefs on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful cooperation, and respect for international law.”

Belize stands by its defence officials’ findings and is awaiting a response from Guatemala through official diplomatic channels. Oral hearings in the territorial case are scheduled for February 2027