SAN DIEGO/TIJUANA, Mexico
Cross Border Xpress (CBX), a full-service airline passenger terminal that straddles the San Diego and Tijuana borders by way of a 390-foot pedestrian sky bridge connecting to Tijuana International Airport (TIJ), is set to open on Thurs., Dec. 9, 2015, as one of the only cross-border terminals in the world.
According to the official press release, the CBX border crossing can only be used by ticketed TIJ airport passengers flying out of the airport within 24 hours, or ticketed TIJ airport passengers who have flown into the airport and wish to use the CBX border crossing within two hours after landing. The rest of the CBX terminal is accessible to the general public who may be dropping off or picking up passengers.
United States Customs and Border Protection processing is located in the CBX terminal, while southbound passengers will access Mexico Immigration & Customs upon crossing the CBX bridge.
“CBX will transform the border crossing experience for millions of travelers,” said Carlos Laviada, an investor in the project, and frequent flyer. “We started the planning and approvals for CBX over eight years ago, and it has garnered incredible support on both sides of the border. Intercountry travel for leisure and business is a critical economic driver for this entire region.”
USA Today reported that an investor group including Chicago billionaire Sam Zell built the new San Diego terminal that crosses the razor-wire border fence to Tijuana’s decades-old airport. While there is a cross-border airport in the European Union, the article noted this airport carries more political freight.
Read the full USA Today write-up for more information. The Orange County Register also shared the following Q&A answering questions pertaining to the Cross Border Xpress and its operations.
