Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport (MZBE)

Medium airport · Belize City, Belize District, Belize

Airport data

NameSir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport
ICAOMZBE
IATATZA
Elevation8 ft (2 m) above mean sea level
CoordinatesN 17°31'2" W 88°11'45"
17.51724, -88.19577
LocationBelize City, Belize District, Belize
Scheduled serviceYes

Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport at a glance

Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport is a medium airport in Belize City, Belize District, Belize, known to airline systems as TZA. The field elevation of 8 ft (2 m) is the number every arriving pilot dials against QNH — circuit heights and initial approach altitudes at MZBE are all figured from it. The airport handles scheduled commercial service, so expect controlled procedures, published approaches and commercial traffic in the pattern.

No runway records exist for this entry in the source dataset — common for fields whose operators never filed dimensions with the public dataset. The absence of a record says nothing about the runway on the ground: it may be paved, lighted and perfectly serviceable. Treat published charts, national AIP entries and the operator as the authoritative sources for runway data here, and this page as the identity and position reference for the field at Belize City. When the dataset gains a runway record for this field, the next site build picks it up automatically — the reference layer regenerates from source on every rebuild rather than being edited by hand.

For the weather side of planning, the live METAR and TAF page for MZBE shows the current observation decoded line by line — wind on an instrument dial, visibility, cloud layers and the resulting flight rules — refreshed continuously from official sources.

Nearest airports to Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport

Distances are great-circle, measured from the field reference point — planning distances along airways or roads will run longer.

AirportCodeDistance
Philip S. W. Goldson International AirportMZBZ12 km (6 NM)
Caye Chapel AirportMZCP24 km (13 NM)
Caye Caulker AirportMZCK30 km (16 NM)
John Greif II AirportMZSP50 km (27 NM)
Dangriga AirportMZPB60 km (32 NM)

Flight-planning notes for Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport

Density altitude is the quiet performance-killer at any field: on a hot day the 8 ft field elevation of Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport can translate into a substantially higher density altitude, stretching take-off rolls and flattening climb rates — run the numbers rather than trusting the feel of a standard day. Expect published instrument procedures, controlled airspace and clearance requirements; slots and handling may apply to general aviation traffic.

This entry is one of 9 airports and airfields we list for Belize — the country index on the airports hub links the rest. Coordinates above are given in both DMS and decimal degrees so they can go straight into a GPS, a flight planner or a chart plot without conversion.

Where this data comes from

The reference layer behind this page builds on the OurAirports dataset — a public-domain, community-maintained register of the world's airports that many flight planners and apps rely on — with equity records preserved from documented historical listings where the dataset is silent. Figures are carried as published: elevations as surveyed, coordinates as filed, runway dimensions as recorded. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap, and the whole layer regenerates from source on every site build, so corrections upstream arrive here automatically.

Frequently asked questions about Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport

What is the ICAO code of Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport?

The ICAO identifier of Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport is MZBE, and its IATA code is TZA. The ICAO code is the one used in flight plans, METAR reports and aeronautical charts.

How high is Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport above sea level?

Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport sits at an elevation of 8 feet (2 metres) above mean sea level. Field elevation is the reference for pattern altitudes and for setting the altimeter on the ground.

Where exactly is Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport located?

The airport lies at 17.5172, -88.1958 — in Belize City, Belize District, Belize, in the northern hemisphere. The closest listed field is Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, about 12 km away.

Does MZBE publish METAR weather reports?

Where the station reports, the current METAR and TAF for MZBE appear on its live weather page on this site, refreshed continuously from the US NWS Aviation Weather Center feed.

Current METAR & TAF for MZBE