greater:SATX Activates Air Service Development Fund
San Antonio, Texas Region Invests Further to Grow Nonstop Service
greater:SATX has launched a regional Air Service Development Fund to attract new nonstop air service to San Antonio International Airport (SAT). This follows a direct recommendation from the greater:SATX All In strategic plan to continue aligning investments in SAT to competitively position the greater San Antonio, Texas region for economic growth.
Passenger air connectivity continues to be a driving consideration as companies evaluate markets for investment, relocation, and expansion. SAT is the largest airport serving the South Texas region, connecting passengers directly to more than 40 domestic destinations and Mexico. Increased nonstop air service would support investment and growth well beyond the San Antonio area.
“We’ve benchmarked our region’s needs as well as successful funding mechanisms in other markets to launch a comprehensive Air Service Development Fund that can support the continued growth of SAT to best serve the San Antonio region and beyond. The initial private sector investment of $3M over two years with additional marketing and in-kind partnerships will support added service to priority geographies within Europe and Canada as well as additional domestic destinations,” said Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, president and CEO of greater:SATX.
More than 10 million passengers — an average of 25,000 per day — fly in and out of SAT each year. In the next 20 years, that number could double to 18 million passengers per year. This private investment is the first of its kind for the region to continue attracting nonstop service to SAT.
“San Antonio International Airport has significantly grown nonstop service in recent years. It’s time for us to leverage our resources from across the region to reach the next level,” said Craig Boyan, president of H-E-B and officer of greater:SATX. “H-E-B is proud to be based in San Antonio. We’re committed to investing in our airport, our air service, and building on the incredible culture and wonderful, inspiring spirit of San Antonians. This initiative can help our greater San Antonio region attract more business investment that ultimately provides more jobs for San Antonians.”
Working in partnership with the San Antonio Airport System, Visit San Antonio, and the region’s largest corporate headquarters, the Air Service Development Fund seeks to increase South Texas’ direct connectivity to underserved markets globally.
“San Antonio is leading the United States when it comes to growth and evolution. Home to the top two attractions in Texas – The San Antonio River Walk and The Alamo – San Antonio is well on our way to welcoming more than 41 million annual visitors to our city,” said Marc Anderson, president & CEO, Visit San Antonio. “Our attractive leisure, convention and business visitor profile make it a natural driver for expanding connectivity that fliers from across the country and around the world are looking for to get to San Antonio. Visit San Antonio’s new ‘Real & True’ branding campaign that tells the unique, authentic stories of our historic, yet ever-evolving community is successfully attracting new visitors domestically and internationally. Our team looks forward to collaborating with airlines expanding service into San Antonio ensuring the new and expanding markets’ flying public is motivated to fill the new routes into the Alamo City.”
SAT is undergoing a massive capital project, investing $2.5 billion to support significant passenger and air service growth into the future. This includes a new terminal and ground transportation center, parking garage, and terminal road realignment that will be able to support passenger needs over the next 20 years. SAT already has two projects underway to provide five new gates until the new terminal is complete.
“Planning for the growth and demand in the San Antonio region continues to be our focus,” said City Manager Erik Walsh, City of San Antonio. “As we continue to emerge from the pandemic, we’ve seen continued interest from air service providers to reallocate and adjust their routes. With the significant investments our region is making, the greater San Antonio area stands to gain significant service into the future.”