Maya Island Air is the longest-established carrier in Belize. Its predecessor Maya Airways was founded in 1962 to take over from British Honduras Airways, which had ceased operating that year; Island Air began operating the same routes in 1989; and the two companies merged on 1 December 1997 to form the present Maya Island Air. The company is owned by the Zabaneh family and headquartered at Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport on St. Matthew Street in Belize City, hubbing at Philip Goldson International Airport. It flies Cessna 208B Grand Caravan and other light aircraft on about 250 scheduled flights a day and offers scheduled carriage of dry and refrigerated cargo as well as cargo charters. No nonstop cargo flights between mainland China and Belize are published; Chinese cargo normally transits a North American or Central American hub to Belize City and is then distributed by the airline to domestic points.
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Maya Island Air (IATA 2M, ICAO MYD, call sign MYLAND, IATA accounting prefix 391) traces its history to 1962, when its predecessor was founded as Maya Airways to replace British Honduras Airways, which had stopped operating in 1961; it was the first local carrier in Belize to build a scheduled network. In May 1989 Island Air began operating the same San Pedro to Belize City route and air transport demand within Belize grew. On 1 December 1997 Maya Airways and Island Air completed their merger to form the present Maya Island Air. The company is owned by the Zabaneh family, with Eugene Zabaneh as chairman.
The head office is at Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport on St. Matthew Street in Belize City, on the second floor of building 1 at the airport. The main operating hub is Philip Goldson International Airport and the domestic base is Belize City Municipal Airport. Public sources list about 250 scheduled flights a day, with domestic points covering both Belize City airports plus Caye Caulker, Caye Chapel, Corozal, Dangriga, Placencia, Punta Gorda, San Pedro and Savannah, and regional routes to Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras operated as charters. Public sources also record a scheduled Belize City to Cancun service between July 2009 and May 2011.
Cargo is part of the business. Public sources list that the company carries dry and refrigerated cargo within Belize over its own network, with daily scheduled delivery, charged by weight and payable prepaid or at destination; shipments that fall outside normal flight times can be handled as cargo charters. For overseas sales and reservations, public sources list a general sales agent in the United States, which indicates that overseas sales run through agents. No nonstop cargo flights between mainland China and Belize are published, and no China office is listed; Chinese cargo is normally routed through a North American or Central American hub to Belize City and then into the domestic distribution network.
| Airline | Maya Island Air |
| Company type | Regional carrier (mainly passenger, with scheduled cargo and cargo charters) |
| Country | Belize |
| Global headquarters | St. Matthew Street, Belize City (Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport) |
| Hub airport | Philip Goldson International Airport (BZE) Domestic base: Belize City Municipal Airport (TZA) |
| Founded | 1962 (predecessor Maya Airways; merged December 1997) |
| IATA two-letter code | 2M |
| ICAO three-letter code | MYD |
| Radio call sign | MYLAND |
| Air waybill prefix | 391 (IATA accounting prefix) |
| Official lookup website | mayaislandair.com |
| Cargo aircraft | 8 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, 3 Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander, 1 Cessna 182S, 1 Gippsland GA-8 Airvan (2020 public figures; the fleet is light passenger aircraft with no dedicated freighter listed) |
| China services | No direct cargo flights publicly listed and no directly owned China office |
The information above is compiled from public sources. Fleet size and destination coverage may change with operational needs, so check the carrier's latest publication.
The company carries cargo on about 250 scheduled flights a day, and public sources list daily, schedule-based delivery that suits distribution cargo destined to points within Belize.
Public sources list two acceptance categories, dry and refrigerated. Refrigerated cargo suits goods with a temperature requirement but no tight temperature band control, and transit time depends directly on the flight's departure time.
Public sources list cargo charges calculated on the weight carried, payable prepaid or at destination; mail is charged at standard rates and settled before departure or on arrival.
For cargo whose delivery time falls outside normal flight times, the company can arrange a cargo charter, organizing capacity per shipment, which suits fixed time windows or larger lots.
Acceptance rules: public sources list that all mail and cargo must be inspected in the presence of the shipper; cargo agents may inspect or refuse parcels that look suspicious; the company does not accept currency, jewellery, gemstones, precious metals, plants, drugs or explosives and accepts no liability for such items packed into mail or cargo. Cargo beyond normal dimensions and weight is not guaranteed to fly the same day and requires approval from the cargo manager or operations manager. These rules reflect public sources; actual acceptance is subject to the carrier's check at the time.
Maya Island Air's fleet consists of light aircraft, mainly the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, supported by the Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander, the Cessna 182S and the Gippsland GA-8 Airvan. The mix matches Belize's route pattern: domestic sectors are short flights of 15 to 45 minutes to island and coastal town airports with limited runway length and ground support, conditions in which light aircraft can operate while keeping frequency at several hundred flights a day. The fleet is configured for passengers with no dedicated freighter listed, so cargo uses the available cabin and lower-hold space on the same flight, and per-flight capacity must be calculated shipment by shipment against the passenger load. Public sources give total fleet size in a range of 12 to 14 aircraft, the difference coming mainly from the reference date and from how in-service status is counted.
| Aircraft type | Number | Category | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 208B Grand Caravan | 8 aircraft | Single-engine turboprop | Main type on domestic scheduled flights |
| Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander | 3 aircraft | Twin-piston | Short sectors and island points |
| Cessna 182S | 1 aircraft | Single-engine piston | Light short-haul flight |
| Gippsland GA-8 Airvan | 1 aircraft | Single-engine piston | Light short-haul flight |
The table is compiled from public sources and totals 13 aircraft; other public sources give 12 to 14. Payload and acceptable volume per aircraft follow the carrier's published operating specifications and the check made at the time of carriage.
| Cargo types handled | Dry cargo, refrigerated cargo, mail and parcels |
| Suitable shipment sizes | Distribution cargo of modest unit weight in moderate lots |
| Service hours | Public sources list 11:00 to 17:30 daily |
| Holiday arrangements | Public and bank holidays require a request to the front desk and approval |
| Charging basis | Charged by weight, prepaid or collect |
| Out-of-gauge cargo | Same-day carriage not guaranteed; requires cargo or operations manager approval |
| Prohibited items | Currency, jewellery, gemstones, precious metals, plants, drugs and explosives |
The chart shows the share of Belize's total 2024 imports by main category, with machinery and transport equipment the largest. Figures come from public statistics and show which categories in Belize's import mix suit air freight.
Public sources do not list scheduled cargo flights by the company in mainland China or Hong Kong, nor a dedicated office in China. No nonstop cargo flights between mainland China and Belize are published.No public information availableCargo originating in China normally transits a North American or Central American hub to Belize City before entering the company network.
The company hubs at Philip Goldson International Airport (BZE) with Belize City Municipal Airport (TZA) as its domestic base. Points cover San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Caye Chapel, Corozal, Dangriga, Placencia, Punta Gorda and Savannah, and the head office location is the central node for domestic operations and cargo acceptance.
The company operates regional routes to Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras as charters; public sources record a scheduled Belize City to Cancun service between July 2009 and May 2011. Regional route status and schedules change with the season and follow the carrier's latest publication.
| Destinations | Airport code | Country | Service type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belize City (hub) | BZE | Belize | Scheduled domestic flights connecting with North American and Central American carriers |
| Belize City (domestic base) | TZA | Belize | Domestic scheduled flights, central cargo acceptance point |
| San Pedro | SPR | Belize | Dense domestic scheduled services |
| Caye Caulker | CUK | Belize | Domestic scheduled flights |
| Caye Chapel | CYC | Belize | Domestic scheduled flights |
| Corozal | CZH | Belize | Domestic scheduled flights |
| Dangriga | DGA | Belize | Domestic scheduled flights |
| Placencia | PLJ | Belize | Domestic scheduled flights |
| Punta Gorda | PND | Belize | Domestic scheduled flights |
| Cancun | CUN | Mexico | Scheduled service previously operated, now mainly charters |
| Guatemala City | GUA | Guatemala | Regional charter direction |
| San Pedro Sula | SAP | Honduras | Regional charter direction |
| Mainland China and Hong Kong | — | China | No published scheduled freighter data at present |
Destination roles are compiled from public sources; where no operating days are listed, no fixed schedule is publicly available. Schedules change with the season and are confirmed by the carrier on the day of booking.
The company does not operate China routes, so cargo to Belize moves in two stages: the first leg from a Chinese origin airport via a North American or Central American hub to Belize City, and the second leg distributed within Belize on the company's daily scheduled flights. The value sits after Belize City, splitting an inbound consolidated lot by destination and delivering it to islands and coastal towns on several short flights a day.
Operational note:For cargo to the United States and Europe we book capacity with the main carriers on those lanes. Shipments to Belize are best arranged under one air waybill for the whole journey, with the mainline carrier and the final distribution carrier billed separately; we quote as one package and handle customs and handover.
| Company address | Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport, St. Matthew's Street, Belize City, Belize |
| Cargo department telephone | (011-501) 223-3015, 615-3082 |
| Reservations phone | (011-501) 223-1140, (011-501) 223-1403 |
| Charters and groups | (011-501) 223-1362; charters@mayaislandair.com |
| Office email | info@mayaislandair.com |
| Cargo service hours | Monday to Sunday 11:00-17:30 (public and bank holidays by request) |
| Official website | mayaislandair.com |
| China contact | No China office is publicly listed. Contact the airline's local agent in China, or ask us to coordinate on your behalf.No public information available |
| Information note | Contact details and service hours may change; confirm with the carrier's latest publication before tendering cargo |
The company has no published dedicated office in China, and public sources indicate overseas sales run through agents, so the China direction is best handled through an agent as well. A local Chinese agent can book the first mainline leg, and coordinate the final distribution with a Belize agent. The main value is in the following areas.
The airline's predecessor was established in 1962 and it is the oldest local carrier in Belize with a scheduled network, covering islands, coastal towns and inland towns, so the network has had decades to develop.
Public sources list about 250 scheduled flights a day, which supports daily cargo delivery on published schedules; cargo arriving in Belize City can be distributed domestically within a short time.
Public sources list the cargo service hours, charging basis, approval requirements for oversize cargo and prohibited items, which makes it straightforward at the booking stage to judge whether cargo can be accepted.
The published scope includes chilled cargo, and cargo charters can be arranged per batch, which suits shipments with fixed time windows or volumes beyond regular flight capacity.
The head office is at Belize City Municipal Airport, where cargo acceptance and domestic flight dispatch are handled at the same point, keeping handover and collection simple.
The fleet is light aircraft, so per-flight capacity is limitedLimited capacity, and it is not suited to full-container or bulk heavy cargo. There is no nonstop flight from China, so total transit time is constrained both by hub connection schedules and by the hours of the final-leg service.
Limits: the airline's strength is distribution inside Belize and batch delivery within fixed hours. For cargo to Belize we normally use other carriers on the mainline from China to an Americas hub, with the airline and local agents covering the domestic leg after Belize City, pricing each sector separately.
Domestic sectors in Belize are short hops of 15 to 45 minutes, so total transit time is set mainly by flight frequency and by how long cargo sits in Belize City. Cargo has to be cleared first and is then forwarded in batches on the flights available that day, so clearance and connection planning affect final delivery more than flying time does.
Public sources list cargo service hours of 11:00 to 17:30 daily, with acceptance on public and bank holidays requiring an application at the front desk and approval. Chinese cargo arriving after those hours is normally held for acceptance the next day. That dwell time has to be counted in total transit time, and longer connections allowed around holidays.
Public sources state that all mail and cargo must be inspected in the shipper's presence and that the cargo agent may inspect or refuse parcels that look suspicious. Consignee details, piece counts and commodity must match the documents, packing must withstand repeated short-haul handling and open-air transfer, and chilled cargo needs insulation or ice according to the commodity.
Once the booking is confirmed, submit the consignee details for the air waybill, commercial invoice and packing list as the carrier requires. Customs clearance and pickup in Belize City can be handled by a local agent; if the cargo moves to another destination in Belize, the domestic leg can be arranged under the same set of documents. Our quote itemises origin customs declaration, mainline air freight, transit handling, and destination clearance and delivery.
Maya Island Air is a regional carrier in Belize. Its predecessor was established in 1962 and the airline took its present form in December 1997 through the merger of Maya Airways and Island Air. It is owned by the Zabaneh family, with Eugene Zabaneh as chairman. The airline focuses on scheduled passenger flights and also offers scheduled cargo and cargo charters. Its IATA code is 2M, ICAO code MYD and IATA accounting prefix 391.
No public source lists scheduled cargo flights to mainland China or Hong Kong. No direct freighter service between mainland China and Belize is publicly listed, and there is no information on a directly owned office in China; shippers can contact the airline's local agents in China or ask us to make the connection.
The airline does not fly to China, so there is no schedule or aircraft data for China routes. Once Chinese cargo reaches Belize City, the airline carries it on domestic sectors with light aircraft such as the Cessna 208B Caravan; schedules follow the seasonal flight plan and are subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking.
Public sources list a fleet of 13 aircraft, led by 8 Cessna 208B Caravan, plus 3 Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander, 1 Cessna 182S and 1 Gippsland GA-8 Airvan; other sources give 12 to 14. The fleet is light passenger aircraft with no dedicated freighter listed.
The published scope covers dry and chilled cargo, with mail charged at standard rates. The airline does not accept currency, jewellery, gemstones, precious metals, plants, drugs or explosives and accepts no liability for such items packed in mail or cargo; cargo beyond normal dimensions and weight needs approval from the cargo or operations manager.
Cargo arriving in Belize City can be cleared at Philip Goldson International Airport and then distributed by the airline to domestic points including San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Caye Chapel, Corozal, Dangriga, Placencia and Punta Gorda, with optional charter connections toward Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. We match other carriers for the mainline from China to an Americas hub.
Goodhope Freight is based in Shenzhen and specializes in international air cargo from China to the United States and other major markets. It designs air cargo solutions to Belize, shipping from major Chinese airports via an Americas hub to Belize City and connecting to the Maya Island Air domestic distribution network, covering quoting, export declaration, air freight, customs clearance and delivery; solutions and rates are available on request.
Disclaimer:Prepared by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited (Goodhope Freight). Airline names, codes, trademarks and brand marks mentioned here belong to their respective owners. We are an independent international freight forwarder and have no affiliation, agency or investment relationship with this airline. The information is compiled from public sources for reference only and does not form a contract of carriage or a service commitment. Space, rates and schedules are subject to actual confirmation by the carrier or its authorized agent on the day of booking.