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We wish the timeline was shorter, the expansion bigger, and the vision bolder.
To be clear, the master plan is welcome. It’s overdue. We just wish it was more masterful. Our airport, in the heart of the city, yet squeezed between Houston, Dallas and now Austin airports, is overwhelming and underperforming.
On ExpressNews.com: You can see this at a redesigned San Antonio International Airport
It’s way too small for the United States’ seventh largest city or the 24th largest metropolitan area. When it comes to enplanements, San Antonio Airport ranked 44th in the nation for calendar year 2019, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In 2020 – a strange year for flying – San Antonio Airport was ranked 46th on the enplanements. Unsurprisingly, San Antonio lags behind when it comes to non-stop destinations.
And while our proximity to the airports in Houston and Dallas – and now Austin – will always create headwinds, the size of the airport and lack of non-stop destinations are undeniably an obstacle to trade and business development. It is simply not enough for a rapidly growing metropolitan region with more than 2.5 million inhabitants.
For this reason, we also support the $ 2.5 billion master plan to expand San Antonio International Airport over the next 20 years. The plan, approved by the city council last week, is to add a third terminal; Replacing the dreary, cramped and overcrowded Terminal A; Widening one of the airport’s runways to 10,000 feet to attract more international flights; and add extra amenities.
Under this plan, the total number of gates would be increased from 24 to 37. All for the best, and yet we wonder whether this expansion is brave enough. If the San Antonio metropolitan area has 4 million people in 2040, will future executives have the same old conversations about our airport’s inadequacies, lack of non-stop destinations and gates compared to other major markets? We wonder.
The schedule of the master plan for the underperforming airport does not reflect the urgency of the project.
Sam Owens / Employee Photographer
Does the 20 year timetable reflect the urgency of the project? The third terminal would not be built until 2027. Terminal A would not be rebuilt until 2031.
Maybe it will go as fast as the city, given the need for federal approval and the planning and design work – but it will take a long time.
We would also like a much more substantial discussion about the connection of the expanded airport to S-Bahn lines – and no, we are not referring to Elon Musk’s Hyperloop. Too often the conversation about the rapid transit system in this city is too vague.
Looking ahead to San Antonio’s future, we see four major economic development concerns: improving air travel, growing a trained workforce, dramatically improving and expanding public transport, and creating a home for more than one top division sports franchise.
On ExpressNews.com: “The Future of the City”: New Vision for San Antonio International Airport looks likely to be moving forward
In 2020, voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of shifting sales tax money to human resource development and local public transport. This airport master plan aims to dispel long-standing concerns about air traffic. And on the athletic front, the city just needs to find a way to score a goal, hit a home run, or pound the ball into the end zone.
So the master plan is a step in the right direction. But let’s pick up the pace and take bigger steps. Where is the urgency?
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https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/editorial/article/Move-up-ETA-expansion-at-San-Antonio-International-16646041.php
