U.S.--MEXICO TRADE : Borderline Transit Systems : Air Service Is Spotty to Fast-Emerging Cities

Consultant Richard Sinkin, whose company helps set up maquiladoras , says it’s logical: The best way to circumvent the U.S.-Mexico border bottleneck is by air.

But air travel in the region can be a study in frustration, Sinkin knows. Although the Mexican plants that assemble products for sale in the United States have transformed obscure border towns into thriving production hubs, the airline industry has not yet connected all the emerging dots on the map.

“Let’s say you are an executive who has a factory in Mexicali,” said Sinkin, managing director of Inter-American Holdings. “Assuming you don’t own a private plane, you can fly to L.A. and get one of a few seats on a puddle jumper. You can drive 2 1/2 hours over the mountains. Or you can fly to Yuma and drive in.”

Experts in border commerce expect that a North American free trade agreement would accelerate a recent trend among both U.S. and Mexican airlines to provide more short-range service between border cities.

For example, Aeromexico’s regional subsidiary, Air Litoral, in December introduced service on 19-seat commuter aircraft from the Mexican commercial capital of Monterrey to Texas gateways, including Laredo, El Paso, Brownsville and San Antonio. A main goal was to offer business people a way to avoid crowded border crossings, spokesman Jim Benson said.

“What used to take three hours by car takes roughly an hour,” Benson said. Aeromexico also introduced service July 1 from San Diego to Mexico City, Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, seeking travelers who formerly had to fly from Los Angeles or Tijuana.

Besides the proliferation of Mexican regional carriers, the Mexican airline market has been energized in the last several years by deregulation in the United States. Nonstop flights between the United States and Mexico increased to 51,551 last year from 35,380 in 1988. In 1991, about 9.7 million passengers flew between the countries, according to analysts and the Mexican government.

The prospect of a trade agreement has led to a program to modernize Mexican airports, as well as aggressive expansion by air freight companies.

Mexicana Airlines initiated an all-freight operation this year serving Miami, Los Angeles and other U.S. cities. Federal Express is building a $1.8-million satellite communication system in Mexico.

“Other markets will take time to mature, but Mexico is ready now,” said Robert Hernandez, Federal Express’ vice president for the Latin American region.

At the border, an ambitious proposal to create a binational San Diego-Tijuana airport has foundered because of disagreements among San Diego leaders and lack of cross-border communication.

The San Diego City Council recently voted to study the “twin-ports” proposal. Mexico, meanwhile, is moving forward with a joint government/private-sector expansion of Tijuana’s Abelardo L. Rodriguez Airport, which officials envision as a key center for both North-South and East-West trade.

The $300-million to $400-million plan will extend an existing runway and add a new one intended to accommodate Boeing 747 jumbo jets flying to Asian countries--particularly South Korea and Japan--whose companies have established factories in Baja California.

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