SO YOU OKAY. WE’RE ABOUT WAY. THROW PAPER PLANES. ALL RIGHT. GOT IT.
>> IT’S TIME WHEN WE ASK
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS A LOT OF
THE TIMES.
>> THE QUESTIONS ARE THINGS
THAT YOU GIVE US THINGS THAT
YOU’RE CURIOUS ABOUT. AND WE’RE
JOINED TONIGHT BY SAN ANTONIO
MAYOR RON NIRENBERG AND RIGHT
OFF THE TOP, WE TALKED A LITTLE
BIT OFF AIR BEFORE WE STARTED
ABOUT THE AIRPORT. AN EXPANSION
PLAN AND THE FACT THAT WE’RE
GOING TO SEE A NEW TERMINAL
AT SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL.
TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
THAT.
>> YES, VERY EXCITING. IT WILL
BE THE LARGEST CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENT PROJECT IN OUR
CITY’S HISTORY. AND IT’S BEING
CELEBRATED BECAUSE WE NEED TO
CONTINUE TO HAVE A WORLD CLASS
AIRPORT AND WE’VE ALREADY
REACHED CAPACITY. SO THERE’S
SOME GATE CONSTRUCTION UNDER
WAY. BUT THE STRATEGIC
DEVELOPMENT PLAN, WHICH IS
GOING TO 10 PLUS YEAR EXPANSION
PROJECT THAT INCLUDES MORE
RUNWAY CAPACITY FOR LONGER AS
WELL AS NEW TERMINAL IN CENTRAL
PROCESSING, ETC. WE’VE GOT
BRIEFED ON THAT TODAY AND THE
TIMELINE IS BEING ACCELERATED.
AND WE’VE GOT A GREAT NEWS THAT
THE TERMINAL C PROJECT IS IS
MOVING ALONG AND HE’S GOING
TO GO THROUGH DESIGN, ETCETERA,
BUT AT THIS POINT SCHEDULED
FOR OPENING IN 2028, WHICH
SAVES A COUPLE YEARS, AT LEAST
OFFER THE INITIAL TIMELINE.
SO THEY’RE DOING EXACTLY WHAT
WE WANT, WHICH IS AN
AGGRESSIVE, BOLD PLAN FOR THE
AIRPORT. THERE WILL BE
SUPPORTED BY THE FEES THAT
AIRLINES PAY AND IT’S BEEN
ACCELERATED. WE NEED TO GET
DONE FOR OUR ECONOMY AND FOR
THE RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO.
IS THIS A CASE OF BUILD IT AND
THEY WILL COME OR DO YOU
ALREADY HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE
LINED UP THE LIKE WE WANT TO BE
IN SAN ANTONIO? WE WANT TO BE
IN THAT
NEW TERMINAL.
>> IT’S ALREADY HAPPENING.
AND YOU KNOW, WE’RE WE’RE ONLY
7% OFF OF OUR PRE PANDEMIC
NUMBERS. TOTAL FOR AIRPORT
TRAFFIC. AND IN FACT, OUR
TRAFFIC IS 60% OVER
PRE-PANDEMIC LEVEL. SO WE’RE
ALREADY AT THE POINT WHERE WE
NEED TO HAVE MORE SPACE, MORE
RUNWAY CAPACITY, TERMINAL AND A
CAPACITY. THAT’S WHY IT’S
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. AND IN
FACT, BEFORE YOU REALLY GET
INTO THE DEEP PART OF THE
STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN,
YOU’RE GOING TO START TO SEE
MORE GATES OPEN IN SAN ANTONIO,
WHICH IS GOING TO ADD A ANOTHER
MILLION PLUS A PASSENGER
CAPACITY FOR THE YEAR. AND
THAT’S TAKING PLACE RIGHT NOW.
SOME MORE GATES COMING. BUT
THERE’S BIGGER PLANS IN THE
WORKS, INCLUDING
CENTRAL PROCESSING WERE, YOU
KNOW, FOLKS ARE COMING TO THE
AIRPORT IN ONE PLACE TO BE ABLE
TO GO TO ANY OF THE TERMINALS.
AND OF COURSE, AT TERMINAL C
PROJECT, WHICH WILL BE A
PREMIER PART OF THE OVERALL
STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
THE SAN ANTONIO AIRPORT OF THE
FUTURE IS ON ITS WAY TO THE
AIRPORT, HAS MADE A LOT OF
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES AND
IMPROVEMENTS OVER THE YEARS.
BUT I I KNOW THAT A CRITICISM
THAT IT CONTINUES TO FACE.
WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD IS THAT WE
NEED MORE DIRECT FLIGHTS.
>> OUT OF INTERNATIONAL, SO IS
IS THIS TERMINAL NEEDED TO GET
THERE? IS THAT PART OF THIS
PROCESS? YOU KNOW, IT’S IT’S
INDIRECTLY. YES. WHAT’S DRIVING
THE TERMINAL?
>> THE NEED FOR TERMINAL AT
THE GATES IS THE FACT THAT
WE’RE HAVING A MORE CONNECTIONS
BUT THAT’S BUT THAT ITSELF IS
BEING CREATED BY A MARKET
FORCES THAT ARE DEMANDING THESE
FLIGHTS. AND SO AS I’VE SAID
BEFORE, THE AIRPORT IS A
TRAILING INDICATOR OVER OVERALL
ECONOMY. AS SAN ANTONIO’S
ECONOMY CONTINUES TO EXPAND
AND RISE, YOU’RE GOING TO SEE
MORE DEMAND FOR FLIGHTS AND
YOU’RE GOING TO SEE MORE
BUSINESSES COME HERE. IT’S A
IT’S A VIRTUOUS CYCLE. AND SO
THIS PLAN IS IS A REFLECTION
OF THAT. AND AND RESIDENTS WHO
ENJOY GOING TO DIFFERENT
DESTINATIONS, NOT HAVING IT.
YOU HAVE SO MANY CONNECTIONS
ARE GOING TO BE BENEFICIARIES
OF THAT EXPANSION TO IT.
I HAPPENS IN STAGES AND IT’S
BEGINNING TO TAKE PLACE.
IT’S NOT GOING TO BE A COMPLETE
CHANGEOVER OVERNIGHT, BUT OVER
THE NEXT 5 TO 10 YEARS ARE
GOING TO SEE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE
IN ADVANCEMENT IN THE CENTER OF
THE AIRPORT.
>> WANT TO TALK ABOUT TITLE.
42, OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING THAT
AFFECTS THE BORDER AND THE
BORDER COMMUNITIES MUCH WHEN IT
COMES TO ASYLUM SEEKERS TO PAY.
SO YOU’RE GOING TO LIFT
RESTRICTIONS ON SOME OF THOSE
ASYLUM SEEKERS TO COME THE
UNITED STATES AND STAY HERE.
HOW CLOSELY ARE YOU WATCHING
THIS AND DO YOU ANTICIPATE IT
AFFECTING SAN ANTONIO IN SOME
WAY?
>> WE’RE WATCHING IT VERY
CLOSELY. AND IT DOES SAN
ANTONIO BECAUSE WE HAVE OUR
FAITH COMMUNITY, OUR NONPROFIT
COMMUNITY WORK TO HELP WITH
THE CAPACITY AND, YOU KNOW, I
HAVE TO START WITH THIS FOLKS
WHO ARE SEEKING ASYLUM, WHO
ARE PROCESSED AT THE BORDER WHO
END UP COMING INTO THE UNITED
STATES ARE HERE LEGALLY.
THEY ARE HERE AWAITING ASYLUM
AND MANY OF COME THROUGH SAN
ANTONIO ON THEIR WAY TO SPONSOR
FAMILIES OR TO REUNITE WITH
THEIR FAMILIES. ARE UNITED
STATES. SO OUR EFFORT AND THIS
IS A HUMANITARIAN EFFORT AND
THE CHALLENGE BECOMES WHEN WE
SEE LARGE NUMBERS THAT ONCE
WHICH IS ANTICIPATED BY SOME AS
A RESULT OF TITLE, 42
POTENTIALLY GOING AWAY WHEN
WE SEE LARGE NUMBERS, WE NEED
MORE CAPACITY AND THE NONPROFIT
SPACE AT ALL AS WELL AS SPEED
IN PROCESSING FOLKS AT THE
BORDER WHO ARE AGAIN, ARE HERE
ILLEGALLY. BUT THEY HAVE TRAVEL
ARRANGEMENTS AND SPONSOR
FAMILIES IN NEED TO WIND UP.
SO THAT’S BEEN OUR MESSAGE TO
THE ADMINISTRATION IS START
BUILDING UP THAT CAPACITY OF
TITLE. 42 IS GOING AWAY TITLE.
42, AS YOU KNOW, IS THE REMAIN
IN MEXICO POLICY THAT CAME IN
UNDER TRUMP BECAUSE WE’RE
EXPERIENCING A COVID-19
PANDEMIC. IT IS ANTICIPATED
THAT RULE WILL GO AWAY SOON.
AT SOME POINT, IF I WAS I’M
GUESSING I’M THINKING I WOULD
GUESS THAT IT’S NOT GOING TO
OCCUR RIGHT WHEN IT WHEN WE
SAID IT WHEN WE WERE TOLD IT
WAS SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE’S A
LOT OF LITIGATION AND COURT
CASES GOING ON THAT MIGHT SLOW
THAT DOWN AT ANY RATE. OUR
EFFORT IN OUR IN OUR
INVOLVEMENT IN THIS IS NOT THE
LEGAL SIDE. IT’S THE
HUMANITARIAN SIDE. WHEN FOLKS
COME THROUGH SAN ANTONIO AND
THEY NEED ASSISTANCE TO MOVE ON
THEIR WAY OR THE NEED. YOU
KNOW, SOME A SPACE OVERNIGHT OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT. OUR
NONPROFIT COMMUNITY, OUR FAITH
COMMUNITY STEPS UP AND WE’VE
GOT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE
CAPACITY FOR THAT. YEAH, WE’LL
SEE IF THAT DOES COME TO AN
END ON MONDAY DEPENDING ON WHAT
HAPPENS IN THOSE COURT CASES.
YOU MENTIONED.
>> LET’S SHIFT GEARS A LITTLE
BIT TO SOME PICTURES WE SAW ON
SOCIAL MEDIA. YOU WERE IN
WASHINGTON, D.C., RECENTLY.
>> ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC
ISLANDERS HERITAGE MONTH.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR TRIP AND
WHAT YOU’RE DOING. THERE.
>> SURE. WELL, AS AN HONOR TO
BE BY THE WHITE HOUSE TO THE
FIRST RECEPTION FOR THE ASIAN
AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER
HERITAGE MONTH. IT’S A
RECOGNITION. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR
A LOT OF REASONS. BUT
SPECIFICALLY IN THIS TIME
BECAUSE OF THE EXTREME RISE
AND VIOLENCE AND HATE CRIMES
TOWARDS ASIAN AMERICAN
COMMUNITY WAS AN HONOR TO
REPRESENT THEM TO REPRESENT
SAN ANTONIO AS THE FIRST ASIAN
AMERICAN MAYOR OF SAN ANTONIO.
SO WE DID WE WERE ABLE TO MEET
WITH WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS
ABOUT THE SAN ANTONIO PLAN AND
THE WORK THAT WE’RE DOING ON
INFRASTRUCTURE SO WE CAN
LEVERAGE SOME OF THOSE FEDERAL
RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE
FOR THAT. AND THEN WE ALSO
PARTICIPATED IN SOME PANELS
WITH REGARD TO IMMIGRATION AND
EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS COMBATING
HATE CRIME AND THEN ECONOMIC
EQUITY, WHICH IS A MAJOR PART
OF THE WORK HAPPENING HERE IN
CENTER HERE.
>> YEAH, ANOTHER TO ANOTHER
CHANCE TO JUST GET IN THE YEAR
OF SOME OF THE FEDERAL
OFFICIALS THAT ABSOLUTELY
ABSOLUTELY. AND YOU KNOW THAT
WE HAVE THE V A 158 MILLION
DOLLARS IN THE PRESIDENT’S
BUDGET. ITS WORK LIKE THAT AND
NAPLES, THE RESOURCES TO FLOW
TO SAN ANTONIO DIRECTLY.
SAN ANTONIO MAYOR RON
NIRENBERG, ALWAYS APPRECIATE