MCALLEN. Texas - Dr. Ali Esmaeili is dean of the division of math, science and bachelor programs at South Texas College.
In an in-depth interview with the RGG Business Journal, and speaking in his personal capacity and not for the college, Esmaeili makes the case for one major regional international airport in the Rio Grande Valley, to replace those in McAllen, Harlingen and Brownsville.
If this were to happen, Esmaeili predicts, airlines would offer more direct destinations from the Valley. Esmaeili personally would like to see flights to South American countries such Brazil, Argentina, and Peru. Th
A new regional airport might be built north of Santa Rosa, on land straddling Hidalgo and Cameron counties, Esmaeili argues, so that both counties can share income from the airport. More than five thousand employees would work at the airport, he believes. Feeding the airport would be a high-speed rail line connecting Laredo to Brownsville.
Some Valley residents might dismiss such ideas as fanciful, Esmaeili acknowledges. But, he says, the region is growing so fast that its leaders need to start having conversations.
Here is a video recording of the interview:
