It Could Be Months Before The First Flights Are Operated By Mexican Airline

Regularly scheduled airline flights operated by Volaris, an ultra-low-fare Mexican airline, were supposed to begin from San Bernardino International Airport this week, but it looks like it could be months before the first flights will be allowed.

Nearly everything is ready. A new, $20.5 million International Arrivals Terminal was completed three years ago, and Volaris was set to begin service between San Bernardino and Guadalajara, Mexico. But they didn't count on a shortage of Customs and Border Protection officers, and it's not known when they'll be hired.

The San Bernardino Sun reports that Volaris is ready to start the service as soon as possible, but it is simply not known when the required personnel will be in place, according to SBIA aviation director Mark Gibbs.

So, the inaugural flights have been pushed to November. Gibbs would not be more specific about the date.

He did say that SBIA is not the only airport that is suffering from a lack of CBP officers. "Industry wide, there's a scarcity of resources for that."

On the bright side, GA and business aviation appear to be thriving at the airport. Officials say that the number of daily operations has doubled between 2013 and 2016, and 2017 is ahead of that pace. But commercial flights remain an elusive goal.

FMI: Original Report