December 4, 1998
City and Mexican government officials are exploring the idea of opening a new international terminal at Tijuana's airport as a way to help international travelers on both sides of the border.
San Diego City Councilmen Juan Vargas and Byron Wear met with Mexican government officials in Mexico City last week to discuss the idea.
A new international terminal at Tijuana's Abelardo Rodriguez International Airport would meet San Diego's need for direct international flights, Vargas said. Currently, San Diego residents must take domestic flights to larger airports in order to get overseas.
San Diego wouldn't have to help finance the latest plan because it would be built and paid for by a Mexican company, Vargas said.
An international terminal at the existing Tijuana airport could be a financial boon to both Tijuana and San Diego, he said.
``You would have some development opportunities up on the mesa that you don't have now,'' said Vargas, whose district includes Otay Mesa. ``That terminal could allow for a number of hotels, the kind of development you would like to see associated with an airport without bringing the noise there.''
Tijuana's airport operators would reap the benefit of landing fees.
In 1993, the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce issued a report that, among other things, recommended that airlines move flights covering more than 600 miles from Lindbergh to Rodriguez.
Currently, Lindbergh has a single, relatively short runway and needs another taxiway. Some loaded jumbo jets that could provide direct flights to Japan, South Korea or Hong Kong have difficulty using Lindbergh.
In the early 1990s, city officials suggested a new airport that would straddle the California-Mexico border. But the controversial Twin-Ports proposal failed due to concerns about noise over southern San Diego County.
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