The Cross Border Xpress (CBX) a passenger-only pedestrian bridge at Tijuana International Airport (TIJ) recently celebrated its 15 millionth passenger since its opening in 2015.
The US-Mexico border allows passengers to cross the U.S.-Mexico border quickly, efficiently and safely. However, the experience is poised to improve as the airport also marked the opening of a new processing building intended to help make the crossing faster, easier and more convenient for users.
Spanning 130 yards, the CBX connects TIJ with a service terminal in San Diego, benefiting millions of passengers who cross the border as part of their trip. This cross-border bridge helps them avoid unanticipated delays at the congested San Ysidro and Otay Mesa border crossings.
Terminal Innovations
"At Cross Border Xpress, we are proud to have reached our 15 millionth passenger crossing. It may sound simple, but behind this is a dream that was laid at the groundbreaking, coupled with a cumulative effort made by each member of the CBX staff, regardless of area, position or function," said Jorge Goytortúa, CEO of Cross Border Xpress.
Cross Border Xpress has added state-of-the-art innovations in the terminal, transportation, tourism, and food services. This is to provide more travel tools for its users.
The event to celebrate 15 million crossings included a celebration accompanied by mariachi music and a cake and was attended by CBX partners, business partners, executives, and staff, who surprised the 15 millionth passenger with a trip from Tijuana to Puerto Escondido on Volaris Airlines.
CBX is expanding the customs processing area to double the booths to serve up to 1,000 passengers per hour, about 10,000 per day. They expect to be able to handle close to 1,000 people per hour at the border bridge.
A Unique Integration
Cross Border Xpress also reported expanding its Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing area. Goytortúa said that the customs area was expanded from eight to 16 checkpoints.
Previously, the border bridge that connects TIJ with San Diego had only eight checkpoints. "This expansion means we will be able to serve and inspect about 1,000 passengers every hour, which will be noticeable as demand increases," he said.
It is expected that in high season, with a greater flow of tourists, about 24,000 people can be served daily. Before the expansion of the customs area, only 10,000 passengers were attended to each day during the high season. Goytortúa expects that as the demand for travel during the year recovers, eight million passengers will be served by 2022.
During the inauguration of the new CBX facilities, Todd Gloria, Mayor of San Diego, and Carlos González, Consul General of Mexico in San Diego, were present. "This is a unique integration that promotes the integration of both countries and the economies of Mexico and the United States," said González Gutiérrez.
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