CITY NEWS

(Almost) Cleared for Takeoff

The airport is closing in on a plan for future developments, including a third terminal

BY JADE ESTEBAN ESTRADA

efore the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 10

Bmillion passengers flew through San Antonio International Airport each year. Last year saw a 61 percent drop in passenger volumes, but interest around expanding and modernizing the airport has remained intensively intact.

After a one-year pause, progress on the Strategic Development Plan (SDP), which outlines 20 years of improvements, was presented to San Antonio City Council in March. The data-driven proposal requires a green light from the mayor and the council and is expected to be completed by late summer or early fall.

En route to its potential completion, three virtual SDP meetings—two in English and one in Spanish—were held to provide updates on the developments being considered for the city-owned airport’s long-term outlook and to solicit community input. “It is imperative that the airport prepares for future growth and also involves the community in the process,” says Jesus H. Saenz, Jr., director of airports for the San Antonio Airport System.

Plans include modernizing the 37-year-old Terminal A, which many say offers a tepid welcome to arriving passengers. “Terminal A dates back to the ’80s,” says SDP project manager John van Woensel, of the consulting firm WSP. “It’s functionally obsolete.”

An expansion is also in the works, with the creation of a third terminal that will feature more of the passenger- requested food options that the airport currently lacks.

The revival of the Terminal C plan, which was proposed and abandoned in 2008, seems to incite the most enthusiasm from those who hear about the SPD proposals. At the input-based meetings, airport officials said the new design concepts would represent “a more defined sense of place,” showcasing the local art and history of San Antonio’s vibrant culture.

Funding for the proposal's projects, including the creation of a new terminal and renovation of Terminal A, could come from federal grants, customer fees, bond issues, and airline carriers. The total cost is still undetermined.

Airport staff is still in the process of surveying COVID-19’s effect on their pre-pandemic growth projection, but there is hope that the traveler numbers will rebound within three years as vaccination rates increase and the public begins to feel more comfortable traveling again.

Top Flier / Major Thomas Werner, of the 182nd Fighter Squadron at Texas National Guard at Kelly Field, will join the Air Force Thunderbirds team in June as the team’s operations officer. He will oversee all air space coordination, safety observation and ground communication with the pilots during aerial demonstrations.

Helping Hand / Following the winter storm that left many Texans without water or electricity, Hollywood star and Corpus Christi native Eva Longoria volunteered for the San Antonio Food Bank, delivering food, water and pet supplies to homebound seniors. “Thank you for the opportunity!” Longoria tweeted.

Top Chefs / Two San Antonio chefs, Diego Galicia and Rico Torres, will take part in volume two of Cook with Jacques & Friends, a video recipe book featuring more than 40 chefs from around the country. Galicia turned in his recipe for queso botanero, and Torres entered his recipe for chicken ballotine (filled with olives and capers) with stewed tomatoes and chiles.

Hot Dog! / The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile made a two-day pit stop in SA in February. The mammoth 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels encouraged residents to take photos, meet the “Hotdoggers” and pick up their official “Wiener Whistles.” Some folks were even offered a sightseeing tour.

Buy the Alamo / San Antonio will get its own Monopoly game. An Alamo City–themed edition of the board game will include spaces that feature local landmarks. Residents were asked to weigh in on what those places should be earlier this spring. The final product will hit shelves this September at a quintessentially San Antonio place itself—H-E-B.