Opinion

Building a new airport would be an epic blunder

The San Antonio International Airport has undergone recent renovations, and its footprint suffices for the additional growth needed. The San Antonio International Airport has undergone recent renovations, and its footprint suffices for the additional growth needed. Photo: Billy Calzada / Photo: Billy Calzada / Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Building a new airport would be an epic blunder 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Expand and improve San Antonio International Airport, but don’t replace it.

This is the essence of a recent analysis of the airport, and it is spot on. Why? Because it is based in reality, unlike the frequent histrionics and complaints about the airport.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s Airport System Development Committee studied the question of whether the region needs a new airport and came to the right conclusion: Our existing airport should be expanded to include a new terminal and a longer runway. It can serve this community for decades to come.

For far too long, San Antonio International Airport has been used as a convenient scapegoat for the economic development challenges the community faces. But those challenges have nothing to do with the airport and a perceived lack of direct flights to other markets. They reside in our struggling school districts, lack of a top-tier research institution, endemic poverty rate and a workforce that lacks college-educated workers. Remedy those challenges and the increased business travel will follow. We promise.

Here’s another consideration lost in the community’s occasional airport hysteria: The airport has been doing quite well in recent years, setting passenger records and adding direct flights. It is on pace for roughly 10 million passengers this year, which would be a record. It services 53 destinations, up from 35 in 2016.

The Federal Aviation Administration tracks passenger count data, and in 2017 San Antonio found itself clustered with other comparable metro areas. We ranked 44th. That put us behind Kansas City (40), Sacramento (41) and Cleveland (43). But ahead of Indianapolis (46), Pittsburgh (47), Cincinnati (49) and Milwaukee (52).

Yes, Austin ranked 34th in passenger count, and some may dwell on that distinction. But here is an arguably more important comparison to make between markets: According to the U.S. Census Bureau about a quarter of San Antonio’s workforce has a college degree. In Austin, it’s close to 50 percent. Not surprisingly, 2016 median income in Bexar County was $52,353, In Travis County, it was $64,422.

Those factors have, arguably, insulated Austin from another important market pressure: The proximity of Dallas and Houston, home to some of the busiest airports in the nation.

A new airport is not going to change the fact that a certain number of flights from San Antonio are always going to have to pass through those markets.

Nor would a new airport guarantee more passengers. A new airport would likely be to the south, pushing some passengers in Northern Bexar County and beyond to catch flights in Austin. And a new airport would cost billions of dollars with no assurance of funds from the federal government.

By contrast, San Antonio’s airport is centrally located and has room to grow. It should be an essential hub to Nirenberg’s forthcoming transit plan. It’s accessible and easy to use.

No, it’s not perfect. There is no sense of place to our airport. Nothing that tells visitors they are in San Antonio, a special and unique place.

And the terminals could use more amenities and pizazz. But again, these are attributes that could be addressed with an expansion and upgrade to ensure the airport meets its fullest potential.

There are no magical solutions or quick fixes. The airport is not the root of our economic development challenges, which means a new airport would not be a solution.