Business View Magazine | September 2019

85 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2019 with one, as well as the longest runway in the Rio Grande Valley at 8,300 feet. “Not to mention, Valley International Airport has been very well protected from encroachment,” Esterly adds. “At 2,600 acres, it’s got plenty of room to protect the environs around the Airport; it’s got overlay zoning in place; it’s the largest airport and has the largest amount of land for future expansion. That puts us at a competitive advantage.” That being said, Esterly believes that having the three commercial airports within a 40-mile radius is rather unique, and not necessarily the best option for the future. “I don’t know of any other place in the United States that’s any closer than we are,” he surmises. “But maintaining three airports within such close proximity is a huge risk for any one community to make huge improvements to their airport. You don’t know, tomorrow, whether you’ll have airline service. Communities need to know that good air service is very, very important to their community, but not every city needs to have their own airport; they just need to have access to good air service. So, if you can improve your air service in the region by consolidation, it makes a lot of sense. So, the citizens need to think about that as we move forward.” Meanwhile, another potential advantage at Valley International is the initial creation of the Harlingen Aerotropolis - 480 acres of shovel-ready land for both aeronautical and non-aeronautical development. The objective of the Aerotropolis is to attract international corporations, logistics companies, and others that would benefit from its strategic location, minutes from the U.S./Mexico border. Once completed, the Harlingen Aerotropolis will consist of several development districts that are intended to be compatible with one another. “We’re looking for developers and businesses,” says Esterly. “They have access to the Airport if they need it, and if they don’t, there’s plenty of land with access directly into Mexico.” Among the future projects on Esterly’s list for the main airfield is a 1,100-foot addition to its 8,300- VALLEY INTERNAT IONAL A I RPORT www.TailwindConcessions.com info@tailwindconcessions.com | 1.866.578.7355 REDEFINING THE REGIONAL AIRPORT CONCESSION EXPERIENCE At Tailwind we care as much about your airport operations as we do our concession business Let us design a concession program for your airport!