The Del Rio International Airport

Two recent additions to Del Rio are Rio Grande Aviation, an FAA-authorized repair station, and Southwest Texas Junior College, which is establishing an aircraft mechanic program, there. “They’re going to have their classroom here at a hangar,” Onofre reports. “In the near future, they are going to be able to graduate students who are capable of getting their mechanic’s license.” Del Rio also has some adjacent acreage available, and Onofre says that the city has an economic development corporation that is trying to recruit businesses to a potential Free Trade Zone, with connectivity to the Airport. Currently, FedEx has a shipping facility, there, next to one of the Airport’s ramps. At the moment, there are no construction or upgrade projects going on at Del Rio, but that doesn’t mean that Onofre doesn’t have a wish list. “We’re trying to see if we can have a cargo facility that will be able to meet customs standards, so we can accommodate cargo inspection; we do not have that at the moment,” he remarks. “Our customs and border protection do not process any cargo at Del Rio – they just process passengers. Another one that is in informal talks is an extension of the runway. Right now, we have a 6,300-ft. runway, and the idea would be to extend it up to 8,000-8,500 feet, to be able to accommodate the new jets that the Air Force is going to have for training. That would be a big plus in support of the Air Force’s mission, and a big plus for us, because we could also accommodate bigger cargo planes. When you’re able to show that your airport is THE DEL R IO INTERNAT IONAL A I RPORT