❗Let's close the gap: We still need your help to raise $40,000 by April 1. Donate now

New airport terminal spans two countries

Kimberly Adams Dec 9, 2015
HTML EMBED:
COPY

New airport terminal spans two countries

Kimberly Adams Dec 9, 2015
HTML EMBED:
COPY

There’s a new airport terminal opening in San Diego Wednesday, but it’s not connected to the San Diego International Airport. The new Cross Border Xpress terminal lets ticketed passengers walk over one of the most fortified borders in the world into and out of Mexico for flights from the Tijuana International Airport.

The project reflects growing economic ties in the region, said Chris Wilson, deputy director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

“So we have, you know, six times as much commerce as we had in 1993, said Wilson, “and it’s largely happening on the same infrastructure that’s existed for decades in the region.”

The Tijuana airport is right on the U.S.-Mexico border, so it’s only a five-minute walk to get there from the new terminal entrance in San Diego. That’s according to Elizabeth Brown, the chief commercial officer for Cross Border Xpress.

“Essentially, we’re an airport terminal building, but our runways are in Mexico,” she said. The company predicts this will save time for the estimated 60 percent of Tijuana airport passengers coming from San Diego and help ease congestion at the regular border crossing.

While this project is privately funded, government workers still handle customs and immigration on both sides. Only ticketed passengers will be allowed on the long, purple bridge for an $18 fee.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.