Guatemalan military aircraft detected near Belize, airspace breach probe launched

Belize: An aircraft of the Guatemalan military was detected while operating over the waters off Belize’s Lighthouse Reef Atoll in the evening of Thursday, September 24, based on the publicly accessible aircraft-tracking information.

The aircraft was recognised by the aircraft callsign used for tracking as FAG706, a Pilatus PC-12 which was under the control of the military of Guatemala.

Flight-tracking data through FlightAware informs that the FAG706 has been identified as a military aircraft of Guatemala and reveals that the aircraft took off near Guatemala City at approximately 6:01 p.m. local time zone along the aircraft was last located near Caye Caulker at around 8:06 p.m.

The accessible flight-tracking history reveals that the aircraft proceeded from Guatemala in the direction of the Caribbean before being detected near Belize. According to the local reports, the aircraft route crossed multiple crossings through Belize’s Lighthouse Reef Atoll, situated off the coast in the Caribbean Sea.

The tracking update of the aircraft later disappeared from the publicly accessible flight-monitoring network. However, the information about the interruption in the tracking signal does not independently determine that the aircraft had unlawfully moved into the air territory of Belize or whether it was carrying out a specific military operation.

Flight-tracing platforms depend on signals collected through networks and interruptions in publicly available tracking data can result from multiple factors.

The officials from Belize have admitted that they are investigating the matter. CEO in Belize Ministry of National Defence, Francis Usher, stated that the government was "continuously looking into” the aircraft movement.

Based on the currently available reports, officials have not publicly disclosed the motive behind the Guatemalan aircraft’s alleged entry into the airspace of Belize or whether it was the intended attempt to violate the Belizean airspace.

The later records accessible through FlightAware indicate that FAG706 was subsequently located on the night of Thursday near Zacapa, Guatemala, prior to reaching La Aurora International Airport at approximately 9:23 p.m.

This signifies that after the previous departure, aircraft went back to Guatemala. The incident is currently in the development stage and additional details awaited are subject to the investigation by the Belizean authorities.