A new facility linking Tijuana International Airport in Mexico with southern San Diego, California, opened on December 9, 2015, providing passengers with an expedited border crossing service between Mexico and the USA.
The Cross Border Xpress (CBX) facility features a 390ft enclosed pedestrian skybridge that spans the USA/Mexico border, linking Tijuana Airport with a full-service airline passenger terminal in southern San Diego. This means that passengers flying out of the airport within 24 hours can use the new CBX facility rather than the existing San Ysidro and Otay Mesa border crossings, which can become overcrowded. Passengers flying into Tijuana Airport can also use CBX to cross into the USA within two hours of landing.
CBX was designed in conjunction with the US Department of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to serve the two million Tijuana Airport passengers who already cross the US/Mexico border as part of their travels. Normal passport, visa and other border crossing protocols must be followed by passengers who use the CBX bridge. CBP processing is located in the CBX terminal, while southbound passengers will access Mexico Immigration and Customs upon crossing the CBX bridge into Tijuana Airport.
Jerry Sanders, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, said, “This will be a great new option for travel between the USA and Mexico. It is unique in the world, and we expect the CBX will be a catalyst for economic growth in our region on both sides of the border.”
Carlos Laviada, an investor in the CBX project and frequent flyer, said, “CBX
will transform the border crossing experience for millions of travelers. We started the planning and approvals for CBX over eight years ago, and it has garnered incredible support on both sides of the border. Inter-country travel for leisure and business is a critical economic driver for this entire region.”