A one-of-a-kind airport facility in Otay Mesa exceeded all expectations during its first year in business.
More than 1.3 million people have used Cross Border Xpress, or CBX, since the terminal opened in December 2015. CBX has an enclosed pedestrian bridge that makes it easier for passengers traveling to and from Tijuana International Airport to cross the border.
“CBX only allows people to access the facility and cross the border if they are passengers, so they’re ticketed passengers, which means they already have the appropriate documentation,” said Elizabeth Brown, Chief Commercial Officer at CBX. “So inherently, this is a very secure border crossing facility because of the types of passengers who are using it,” Brown said.
The number of passengers using CBX is expected to increase to 1.8 million in 2017, and nearly double by 2018. In order to meet the growing demand, operators are planning to add food and beverage vendors and expand the current parking and rental car facilities.
“Having a year of operation under our belt makes us far more attractive for businesses to locate here. They understand that we will both be able to develop commercially and serve the needs of this customer base, which we now understand is a significantly large number of people that are looking for that,” Brown said.
