San Diego – The Cross Border Xpress is a 64-acre facility that sits in Otay Mesa between San Diego and Tijuana. It has been described as an airport terminal north of the border, with its runway in Mexico.
Its centerpiece is a 390-foot bridge that spans the border, allowing passengers to walk in and out of Tijuana’s airport without having to cross the border through a port of entry.
Tijuana’s airport serves 35 destinations in Mexico including cities such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Cancun.
It also has fights to China.
A few weeks ago, CBX received approval to add a parking structure, hotel rooms, a gas station, restaurants and retail shops.
And the roads leading into and out of the area will also be reconfigured to improve access and exit points.
“It will also have a car rental center and transportation hub, so we understand that to fulfill the needs of our customers we have to expand,” said Jorge Goytortua, CBX’s CEO.
In 2019, about 3 million passengers used CBX, and it’s expected that by 2036, 7 million people per year will use the facility.
“The U.S. expansion will allow to double capacity of CBP booths increasing to 16, passengers will be processed faster with better technology,” Goytortua said.
South of the border, at the Tijuana airport, a $100 million expansion is already taking place to include bigger terminals, a new luggage carousel area and access back to the U.S. It is expected to be complete by the end of 2021.
“It’s 45,000 square feet facility to serve CBX customers to have more, easier, faster way to get back,” Goytortua said.
CBX opened in December of 2015 and it has exceeded all expectations, according to Goytortua. “More than anyone could believe, and traffic keeps increasing,” he said. “Overall, our goal is to take one more step in converting CBX into a really world-class terminal, a world-class airport.”
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