Augustine Airstrip

The closure was primarily due to a combination of economic factors and infrastructural redundancy. The main driver was the development and operation of a private, well-maintained airstrip at the nearby Blancaneaux Lodge (ICAO: MZ11), owned by Francis Ford Coppola. This private strip absorbed the majority of the high-value tourist charter traffic, making the public Augustine Airstrip economically unviable. The high cost of maintaining a remote public airstrip for diminishing traffic, coupled with gradually improving (though still challenging) road access into the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, sealed its fate.

The site is completely abandoned for aviation purposes. The paved runway remains physically intact and is clearly visible from satellite imagery. However, it is in a state of severe disrepair, unmaintained, and extensively overgrown with grass and other vegetation, rendering it unusable for any type of aircraft. The area immediately surrounding the old airstrip continues to serve as the location for the Augustine Forest Station, and the runway surface itself is sometimes used by locals as an informal road or open space.

Historically, Augustine Airstrip was the main air gateway to the remote Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. It was originally established to support government operations, specifically the Forestry Department headquarters located at Augustine (also known as Douglas D'Silva Forest Station), and to facilitate logging activities in the vast pine forests. As Belize's tourism industry grew, the airstrip became a critical piece of infrastructure, providing access for visitors to early eco-lodges and major natural attractions like Big Rock Falls, Rio On Pools, and the Rio Frio Cave. It also served as an important staging point for difficult overland journeys to the major Mayan archaeological site of Caracol.

There are no known or published plans to rehabilitate or reopen the Augustine Airstrip. The air transportation needs for tourism in the Mountain Pine Ridge are adequately served by the private Blancaneaux Lodge airstrip. Given the significant cost required to restore the runway and the lack of a clear economic or logistical need for a second airstrip in the immediate vicinity, the prospect of it reopening is considered extremely low.