Tijuana’s CBX: The ‘impossible dream’ is now 10 years old

Serious thought astir a bi-national airdrome for San Diego and Tijuana truly began aft the violent attacks connected Sept. 11, 2001. Of course, Tijuana International Airport sits instantly crossed the borderline from the U.S. The airdrome is truthful adjacent to the borderline that its runway veers from southeast to northwest and pilots indispensable instrumentality a crisp near to debar crossing into U.S. airspace.

San Diego International Airport, conscionable 24.7 miles north, has constricted country for enlargement owed to its proximity to the metropolis connected 1 broadside and the bay connected the other, making it the busiest single-runway airdrome successful the country. By 2006, the U.S. Navy had besides stated unequivocally that imaginable expansions for San Diego International Airport utilizing Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Naval Air Station North Island were not acceptable. That near a bi-national airdrome arsenic the lone viable solution — maybe.

Supporters and aboriginal efforts

Supporters connected some sides of the borderline were indispensable to marque this task a possibility. (Keizers/Wikimedia Commons)

Various entrepreneurs from some sides of the borderline had tried for years to make plans to marque airdrome cross-border question work. These person included businessman Ralph Nieders, existent property magnate and civic person Malin Burnham and Luis De La Calle, a Mexican economist and consultant, among others.

There were erstwhile attempts to make a cross-border airdrome called Twin Ports, utilizing San Diego City-owned Brown Field connected the U.S. broadside and Tijuana International Airport successful Mexico, but these failed owed to financing arsenic good arsenic problems with onshore acquisition connected the U.S. side. In addition, statesmanlike permits would beryllium required from some the U.S. and Mexican governments to marque a caller borderline crossing betwixt Tijuana and San Diego.    

Meanwhile, determination was accrued involvement successful the task by Guadalajara-based Grupo Aeroportuario Pacifico (GAP), operators of a twelve airports successful Mexico, including the 1 successful Tijuana. Instrumental with GAP was the enthusiastic enactment of Enrique Valle Alvarez, Director of the Tijuana airport. Also supportive were the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and the South County Economic Development Corporation.

Partners successful processing the project

The cardinal to occurrence was the acquisition of onshore connected the San Diego side, which was completed on with the required statesmanlike permits successful August 2010. However, an anticipated occupation was the estimated US $8 cardinal yearly fund for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which CBP insisted beryllium paid by the developer, since, according to its reasoning, the improvement was a backstage venture.   

Led by Alan Bersin, the previous president of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority and aboriginal U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary for International Affairs and Special Representative for Border Affairs, arsenic good arsenic the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an statement was reached that the operators of a cross-border terminal would money the costs of CBP. 

GAP strategical partners Eduardo Sanchez-Navarro, Carlos Laviada Ocejo and his wife, Laura Díez Barroso Azcárraga, were joined by Sam Zell of Chicago-based Equity Group Investments to money the project. Land was past purchased connected the San Diego broadside for the terminal arsenic good arsenic for parking spaces.

The Cross Border Xpress becomes a reality

The terminal that connects 2 countries. (City Captain Transportation)

There was immoderate interest astir what mightiness hap to the cross-border terminal should Mexico ever adjacent the border, making the planned San Diego terminal a achromatic elephant.  Ironically, it was the U.S. that closed the borderline during the COVID pandemic.

With each objections overcome, operation began successful June 2014. The distinctive terminal was designed by its architect, the precocious Ricardo Legorreta. Special arrangements had to beryllium made to licence the superior contractor, Turner Construction, to physique the span that would transverse the borderline and conception the connections connected the Tijuana International Airport terminal.     

After much than a decennary and each existent and imaginable issues solved, the cross-border terminal, renamed Cross Border Xpress (CBX), opened connected Dec. 9, 2015. Grateful passengers began utilizing the 390-foot unafraid skybridge crossing betwixt Mexico and the U.S., eliminating agelong waits astatine the different onshore borderline crossings. The San Diego Terminal adjacent has its ain hose codification designation: TJC. Access is disposable to 40 destinations wrong Mexico and 2 successful China (Beijing and Shenzhen), arsenic good arsenic Phoenix successful the U.S.   

10 years later

Since opening, 25 cardinal ticketed passengers person utilized CBX, contributing to a 1.4% yearly maturation complaint of Tijuana International Airport. There are 8,500 spaces disposable for short- and semipermanent parking. Uber and Lyft, arsenic good arsenic car rental companies, person designated pickup locations. Under the enactment of Jorge Goytortúa, Chief Executive Officer and his team, CBX and its facilities connected some sides of the borderline proceed to grow and marque question from California to Mexico seamless and easy.

Today’s aerial passengers instrumentality for granted the easiness of accessing Tijuana International Airport from the CBX San Diego Terminal. Most person nary thought however hard it was for the galore players who made “the intolerable dream” a world 10 years ago.

James Clark writes for Mexico News Daily.