U.S., Mexico to Jointly Study Border Airport

In a small step toward resolving their differences, U.S. and Mexican officials in Tijuana announced Wednesday that the two countries will pursue a single plan for airport service at the border, but left the possibilities wide open.

The result may be a binational airport either straddling the border or on either side, members of the Bilateral Working Group said after a meeting Wednesday afternoon at a downtown Tijuana hotel.

Also possible are separate airports north and south of the border, or a number of permutations involving runway expansions at Rodriquez International Airport in Tijuana that coincide with construction of airstrips north of the border.

San Diego City Councilman Ron Roberts and the assistant director of Mexico’s airports agency, Emilio Sacristan Roy, issued a statement announcing that officials have agreed “to engage in an intensive and accelerated planning effort that best meets the aviation needs of the San Diego-Tijuana Region.”

“Both agree that, during this process, it would be most unfortunate if any steps were taken that would preclude any of the options under study,” read the statement.

The announcement brings border airport planning to its latest juncture, after four years of back and forth in the San Diego City Council. Roberts, a primary proponent of a binational airport proposal dubbed TwinPorts, characterized the results of Tuesday’s meeting as a “major advance,” though he and other members of the Bilateral Working Group were hesitant to interpret how close the two sides were to agreement on a final plan.

Technical members of the working group will meet next week to carry on talks and refine proposals submitted by both sides, said Jorge de la Madrid, assistant director of construction of Mexico’s airports agency.

“There is a lot of filling in to do,” Roberts said.

A San Diego City Council critic of new airport construction at the border characterized Tuesday’s announcement as “completely predictable,” saying it was not an agreement and, moreover, that it reflects Mexico’s diplomatic rejection of the TwinPorts idea.

“All we do is talk and talk and talk,” Councilman Bob Filner said in an interview.

“What the Mexican government is saying is they are willing to talk, but they are completely unwilling to accept our proposal. They are not going to say ‘no’ in an atmosphere of Free Trade Agreement. They are going to say, ‘Let’s talk.’ ”

Filner represents the Otay Mesa area, where TwinPorts airport construction is proposed, and is a congressional candidate in the area.

At least two alternatives to TwinPorts have been suggested.

One involves Miramar Naval Air Station, a major training, support and repair base for F-14 Tomcat fighter jets. The plan to establish a commercial airport at Miramar has been fought by La Jolla residents who would be under the flight path.

Another alternative seeks to expand San Diego’s existing airport by acquiring land north of Lindbergh Field. The property is used by the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.