Should there be a new San Diego Airport along the US-Mexico border, accessible from both countries? (San Francisco: 2009, bankrupt)

[Vicman]

While I have never been to the San Diego area, I found that San Diego's current Lindbergh Field is very constrained, and it is difficult to get international flights from there.

On the other hand Tijuana Airport in Mexico has received service to Asia on Aeromexico, which allows San Diego travelers to avoid LAX. But what if there was a new airport to replace both Lindbergh and Tijuana airports?

On the French-Swiss border there are two airports (Geneva Airport and EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse) that are accessible from France and Switzerland. Until December 2008, when Switzerland became a part of the passport free Schengen agreement, that meant that both airports had separate zones for flights to and from France and Switzerland.

I'm not sure if this is possible practically, but it would be nice if San Diego and Tijuana had a common international airport. One side would be an American side, and the other would be a Mexican side. Domestic US flights depart and arrive from the US side, and domestic Mexican flights depart and arrive from the Mexican side. An immigration and customs point would be in the middle of the airport so passengers can cross from one side to the other.

I'm not sure how this detail would work, but International flights (i.e. flights going outside of the US and Mexico, for instance the Aeromexico flight to Japan) could board passengers from both the American and Mexican sides (the airline could have to keep track of which passengers boarded from where so that, if there is a cancellation of the flight or a forced return, the airline would know where the passengers go) - For arriving international flights, some passengers could elect to be dropped off in Mexico, while others would be dropped off in the United States. That way Americans in San Diego will not have to cross the Mexican border before flying to Asia; they will simply depart and arrive in the United States. If a flight to the United Kingdom was established, that would mean Mexicans would not have to cross in the United States; they would simply depart and arrive in Mexico.

[f_m]

That would be a crazy security issue. Unless you have fencing on the outside, which you probably can't, people would definitely try to cross.

[Sassberto]

San Diego is broke, we aren't building any airports.

[e36geoff]

Originally Posted by Vicman

While I have never been to the San Diego area, I found that San Diego's current Lindbergh Field is very constrained, and it is difficult to get international flights from there.

I'd recommend a visit to Tijuana before proposing this...

San Diego is broke and TJ is broker, this isn't happening anytime soon.

[Vicman]

France and Switzerland had ways of keeping people out of each other's sides before the Swiss joined the Schengen passport free zone. I'm not sure exactly what measures were there at EuroAirport and Geneva. Each airport was entirely physically located in one country (EuroAirport in France, and Geneva Airport in Switzerland), but as I explained in the earlier post, each airport was accessible from both countries.

Originally Posted by f_m

That would be a crazy security issue. Unless you have fencing on the outside, which you probably can't, people would definitely try to cross.

As for the other posts, I wasn't meaning exactly this minute - I was meaning sometime in the near or far future.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by Vicman

As for the other posts, I wasn't meaning exactly this minute - I was meaning sometime in the near or far future.

You can rule out the near future pretty safely. Like the next 10-20 years.

Did you know San Diego has the same single-runway airport it has had since 1928? It's going to stay that way for a long, long, time.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

You can rule out the near future pretty safely. Like the next 10-20 years.

Did you know San Diego has the same single-runway airport it has had since 1928? It's going to stay that way for a long, long, time.

I didn't know it had exactly the same airfield since 1928, but since I knew San Diego's airport is severely constrained and therefore difficult for operations of overseas flights, I don't feel surprised (a lot in aviation has changed since 1928).

Is the San Diego economy depressed to the point where planning/implementation would not be able to happen for 10-20 years? Or is there another reason for the inability to plan and implement any new airport plan for a 10-20 year period?

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by Vicman

Is the San Diego economy depressed to the point where planning/implementation would not be able to happen for 10-20 years? Or is there another reason for the inability to plan and implement any new airport plan for a 10-20 year period?

San Diego has been effectively bankrupt for nearly ten years and is about to announce a 200 million dollar budget deficit.

San Diego is a big city with a small-city municipal government, and a long history of corrupt and incompetent municipal politics.

There have already been 20 years of ballot measures, studies, and attempts to expand or otherwise move the airport. All have failed. There is serious opposition to expanding or moving SAN. San Diego doesn't want to be a big city with a big city airport, they like their convenient little downtown airport.

[Gentoo]

Sadly as mentioned, a new airport will not likely happen soon at all. This city desperately needs one though. It's too big for such a small airport. Oakland's is clearly larger and it's a smaller city!

Not sure if sharing it with TJ is such a great idea. There was even talk about moving it to El Centro. Really? 115 miles away in the dessert! There is room but that's seriously a crazy option.

[sav858]

Do cities even fund airport expansions themselves since they benefit the region? Seems a bit unfair for just the city of SD to foot the bill. Either way we are not that broke b/c the Airport Authority is in the process of dropping $500 million as we speak with more to come.


Coastal Commission OKs airport expansion plan - SignOnSanDiego.com

"The state Coastal Commission yesterday backed the $1 billion expansion of Lindbergh Field, including the addition of 10 boarding gates and a double-deck roadway at Terminal 2. The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is shepherding the project and needed the approval of the state agency, which oversees coastal land use.

Construction will be funded by airline fees, federal grants and other sources. The state commission gave its approval at a meeting in San Francisco."

http://www.flatironcorp.com/assets/P...ogram-SDIA.pdf

http://www.san.org/documents/pressre...en%20Build.pdf

I can't really find the details of all the funding sources but as we speak the project is on it's way. I actually didn't really care for the plan b/c I think it makes the airport less convenient and Terminal 2 seems 1/2 empty most of the time. But it will be nice to get there by Trolley and I'm coming around on the idea more and more.

"The Airport Authority is already moving forward with $650 million in short-term improvements that will create 10 new gates and a two-tiered arrival and departure area at the existing terminals."

Details On Lindbergh Expansion Released - San Diego News Story - KGTV San Diego

It's not a new airport but it's progress and we're not that incapable of getting big projects like this off the ground like some always suggest.