By Karen Gleason
The 820 Times
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales today pledged he will continue working with city officials to help restore commercial air service to Del Rio.
Gonzales (R-San Antonio) held a joint press conference with Mayor Al Arreola and other members of the Del Rio City Council in the concourse of the Del Rio International Airport.
Gonzales spoke about the efforts he has made to assist Del Rio in restoring commercial air service to the city.
Calling Del Rio “a gem that is often overlooked,” Gonzales said he has been working with Arreola and city officials as they continue efforts to restore air service.
“Working together, I feel very confident about reigniting an airline here in Del Rio, and it’s absolutely critical, for multiple different reasons,” Gonzales said.
The congressman said commercial air service is important for Laughlin Air Force Base, for Del Rio’s border security community and for international trade and commerce.
“In the FAA Reauthorization Act that we passed, in that bill is a segment that has seven rural communities that lost their airline, very similar to what has happened in Del Rio, that will be under study on why, how do you regain that, what are the reasons for it, so there are seven spots already on there. In the transportation and HUD appropriations committee, I added an amendment that would include four additional slots that will be under review, specifically, these are communities that are in international trade zone areas, so what it boils down to is Del Rio,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales also announced in the National Defense Authorization Act, $58 million has been allocated for the T-7 program at Laughlin Air Force Base.
He also announced a $2 million-plus grant for the community to go toward the construction of a sports complex for Val Verde County.
After Gonzales made his remarks, Arreola spoke about local efforts to restore commercial air service.
“The community has been striving to see some progress toward an airline, and I know Congressman Gonzales has not forgotten us. He has been doing his job, and he has really been supporting us,” Arreola said.
Arreola especially thanked Gonzales for his support of Laughlin Air Force Base.
“When there’s growth in our base, there’s growth in our city,” the mayor said.
Following the two presentations, The 830 Times asked Gonzales and the mayor if commercial air service could realistically be re-established by the end of 2025, a timeline previously discussed by city officials.
“I think with the negotiations Mr. Chavez (interim city manager) and Jorge Ramon (city economic development director) have had with several airlines, it’s kind of realistic, but with what Tony (Gonzales) is doing for us, I think that’s going to push us a little higher on the pole. . . To me, it’s a blessing, that our congressman is also working to push things forward,” Arreola replied.
Gonzales added, “Late 2025 is too late for me. We need it now, and the only way we get it now is to push with everything we have, and so one of the things is that we pushed together and got a $1.2 million grant as an incentive for any airline that is going to reignite this route, so that’s important.
“The other piece of it is, so many things happen behind the scenes, and so we’re going to be leaning on these airlines to speed that process up, for all the reasons I mentioned: the base, international trade and commerce and the security issues we have on the border. We have three major issues in this community that no one else has. . . I’m very optimistic,” the congressman said.
Another question came from Andy Katz, a retired colonel who was vice commander from Laughlin Air Force Base, called commercial air service “incredibly important” for Laughlin personnel and asked what Gonzales and Arreola saw as the challenges to restoring air service.
“A lot of it is what the airlines have gone through. It’s not a Del Rio issue. It’s a wider, national issue, something all the airlines are dealing with, and you name it, pilot shortages, what happened with Crowdstrike a couple months ago, they’re dealing with all these different challenges and trying to make business decisions, but there is a national security element to it, a commerce piece to it, but Del Rio isn’t like anywhere else, and that why we have to work together and echo that message out more forcefully,” Gonzales said.
He added that all of the stakeholders who need and want airline service must work together to speed the process of restoring commercial air service.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
