SAN ANTONIO – $2.5 billion. That is the projected price for the new expansion for the San Antonio International Airport, but it wont happen overnight.
That’s what Jesus Saenz, Director of Airports for the city of San Antonio said, when he talked about the various reasons for the project, along with the timetable and big plans for Stinson Municipal Airport.
“What does that mean? More households, more jobs, more population, all, an economic impact to the city of San Antonio,” Saenz said.
The San Antonio International Airport already is considered to be a seemingly fast, friendly and efficient airport.
“It’s easy. Looking at the flights, looking at the way everything is diagrammed, it just makes it so easy for myself coming from different cities and all that. I am able to pinpoint where I need to go,” Jesse Avalos, a traveler, said.
Avalos serves in the US Army and sees airports around the world and said he realizes how efficient the San Antonio International Airport is.
“So I’m like, I think I showed up early,” Avalos said.
But the airport, as it’s currently known, will look very different in the coming years.
“It’s a $5.2 billion economic impact to the city. The airport is so important you know, so we want to continue to grow that,” Saenz said.
He said the next step for the expansion comes next month.
“We have some final renderings that we need to bring to City Council in the middle of February. So we’ll be doing that right in the middle of February. And then once we finalize those efforts, we’ll start to work on enabling projects,” Saenz said.
Also in the works is another local airport that could see some huge changes.
“We went out to the community at Stinson and sat down and talked about, you know, four different alternatives that are available for the community to sit down and look at, and look at some of those alternatives,” Saenz said.
The idea for the Stinson Municipal Airport is that it could bring new opportunities, new runways and even new jobs.
At the San Antonio International Airport, there are a lot of ideas still being floated around.
“(As a traveler) everything is so simple, but a little more attraction to see or get to know San Antonio from the airport,” Avalos suggested.
For more information on the Stinson Municipal Airport, click here. And for information on the San Antonio Airport System Strategic Development Plan, click here.