Newest Airport Terminal in California Crosses the Border to Mexico

On Wednesday, December 9, Cross Border Xpress, the newest airport terminal in California, will officially start operations and it is distinguished as a terminal that crosses the U.S.-Mexico border. The terminal, linked by a bridge, connects the California side to the Tijuana side, passing over one of the most secure international borders in the world.

The new airport located in San Diego was built by a group of investors that includes Sam Zell, a billionaire from Chicago. A bridge crosses the highway and the fortified border fence to the old airport in Tijuana. Airline passengers are charged $18 to be able to walk on the 119-meter or 390-foot overpass to reach the Tijuana International Airport, a gateway to about 30 destinations in Mexico. It will be the first binational airport terminal in the world, serving arriving and departing passengers from Tijuana or San Diego.

Target customers

The airport’s target are the 60 percent of airport passengers in Tijuana who visit the U.S. In 2014, the U.S. received 2.6 million Mexican visitors. Currently, they have to drive on land for about 15 minutes to the border and have to wait for several hours to be able to enter San Diego either on foot or by car. With the Cross Border Xpress’s 390-foot fully enclosed pedestrian sky bridge, they can be in front of a U.S. border inspector after walking for five minutes.

Good reasons for its establishment

Pre-existing conditions helped in the establishment of Cross Border Xpress (CBX), which is one of the largest privately-owned airports in the United States. Tijuana’s airport was built close to the international line. It was also surrounded by land that remained undeveloped in San Diego’s barren, industrial section. The architect of the new terminal, Stanis Smith (Stantec Inc.) said that it was a great geographical accident that might never happen once again. It took eight years of preparation before the project came into fruition.

Same passenger processing

Only ticketed airport passengers coming from Tijuana International Airport to visit the U.S. can use the bridge two hours after landing. Likewise ticketed passengers from San Diego who are going to Tijuana to use its airport within 24 hours to fly to other destinations in Mexico are allowed to cross the sky bridge.

Location

The terminal of the CBX is found along the border on the San Diego side, between Otay Mesa and San Ysidro border crossings. It can easily be accessed from Interstates 5, 18 and 805 when you connect to Highway 905 and making an exit at Britannia Boulevard south to Siempre Viva Road east. Signs are placed along the way to the terminal building, which was built at 2745 Otay Pacific Drive.

According to the Otay-Tijuana Venture LLC consortium, they expect to earn from restaurants, rental car companies, duty-free shops and other concessions. There are plans to construct a gas station, shopping center and a 340-room hotel, which have been approved by the city of San Diego. The consortium also said that the terminal fee they are charging will generally go to the salaries of the U.S. border inspectors.

Image Copyright: Lenny Ignelzi / ABC Inc.