Business View Magazine November-December 2018

116 117 ness connections for the different motors within our economy and, ultimately, for our Airport.” BVM: Can you talk about any recent or upcom- ing Airport projects or upgrades? Suarez: “In 2015, we completed our terminal expansion project; we extended our terminal by 55,000 square feet.We were able to construct two new gates, for a total of six gates.We were also able to incorporate different projects to include a CBIS (Checked Bag Inspection Sys- tem) project, and we were able to update our inspection area for the TSA folks. Our terminal expansion project cost upwards of $22 million. Funding sources included FAA AIP grants, PFC (Passenger Facility Charge) funding, TSA fund- ing, and local matching funds. THE MCALLEN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT “We also completed a runway safety area proj- ect, where we were able to incorporate an EMAS (Engineered Materials Arrestor System) system which allowed us to make our runway safer. The EMAS project was a bit over $10 million. So, we’ve been busy in the last few years meeting key business and infrastructure demands. “Right now, we’re updating our Master Plan. Our primary goal within the next year or so is to have that completed. Incorporated into our Master Plan is a potential parallel runway and a future potential extension of the existing main runway. In addition, the Master Plan calls for addition- al terminal space growth and additional cargo development. So, within our footprint, there is an opportunity to continue to grow the aeronautical services that we offer and the facilities that we have to house those services.” BVM: How do you market the Airport to poten-