When Jesus Saenz stepped into his position as director of airports for the Metropolis of San Antonio, he naturally had a 30-, 60- and 90-day plan to enhance and develop the San Antonio Worldwide Airport (SAT).
Inside a month, these plans had been sidelined by a travel-busting pandemic, forcing the brand new airport boss to pivot to short-term fundamental well being and security whereas holding his eye on the long run.
5 years later, Saenz and his crew have a brand new 17-gate terminal and floor load facility beneath development. They’ve turned SAT into the biggest medium-sized airport with connectivity to Mexico, built-in new automobile parking techniques and in addition celebrated history-making wins and losses in air service.
On this week’s episode of the “bigcitysmalltown” podcast, host Robert Rivard spoke with Saenz about development on the airport and the anticipated continuous flight to Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport (DCA).
“It’s going to be transformative, and it’s not going to be transformative to 1 singular terminal — our efforts are to remodel the whole asset,” Saenz mentioned of the undertaking he’s overseeing as a part of “Elevate/SAT,” the $2.5 billion capital enchancment plan.
He talks about why the upcoming inaugural DCA flight, set for March 3, is such a momentous event.
Native and state officers have tried unsuccessfully for years to win a DCA slot for San Antonio within the Federal Aviation Administration’s Reauthorization Invoice. “And it actually put a dent to this neighborhood,” he mentioned. “However now we’re going to change that … So go purchase your tickets.”
Saenz and Rivard additionally talk about what occurred to the town’s first continuous transatlantic flight — a Condor flight to Frankfurt that lasted solely months — and what he thinks concerning the ongoing authorized challenges introduced by Southwest Airways.
“Nothing good comes simple,” he mentioned.
Take heed to episode 90 of the “bigcitysmalltown” podcast under.
Disclosure: Robert Rivard is the co-founder of the San Antonio Report.
