Congressman Tony Gonzales and Mayor Al Arreola Announce Partnership to Restore Airline Service to the Del Rio International Airport

A joint press conference between Congressman Tony Gonzales and City of Del Rio Mayor Al Arreola, was held at the Del Rio International Airport on Thursday, August 22, 2024 to discuss their joint efforts to restore airline service to the city’s airport. 

Congressman Gonzales began by thanking the mayor, council, city staff and community leaders for their welcome, calling Del Rio a “gem that sadly, often gets overlooked in one way or another.” He stated that he and Mayor Arreola have been working on the restoration of airline services here in Del Rio since American Airlines stopped operating out of the airport. “Working together, I feel very confident about reigniting an airline here in Del Rio,” Congressman Gonzales began. “It’s absolutely critical for multiple different reasons.” 

He went on to cite the three main factors driving the urgency of restoring airline service to the Del Rio area. The first being the Laughlin Air Force Base, citing the importance of providing direct flights to and from Del Rio for the Air Force as the base continues to expand and grow. The second reason he cited is border security, Customs and Border Security in our region being one of the busiest sectors in the entire country. His third reason being International Trade and Commerce, stating that, without an airline, Del Rio misses key opportunities for trade and commerce with Mexico, among others. 

The Congressman went into brief detail about the legislative aspects of this initiative. “In the FAA Reauthorization Act that we passed, is a segment that has seven rural communities that lost their airlines, very similar to what has happened here in Del Rio, which will be understudied to understand why the airline services were lost and how to regain them,” Congressman Gonzales explained. 

As a member of the Appropriations Committee on this bill, Congressman Gonzales shared that he “added an amendment that will include four additional slots that will be up for review, specifically outlining that these are communities that are designated in international trade zone areas,” he began. “When you start looking at it, it boils down to Del Rio, and what we need to do is make sure we have all our ducks lined up as we pursue this to make sure that this never happens again.” 

He also shared that the base was able to obtain 58 million dollars through the National Defense Authorization Act for the T7 Program. “I’m very excited about this $58 million for the T7 Program, I think it’s gonna be countless jobs and opportunities for years to come.” Further emphasizing the importance of investment in infrastructure and in our Air Force Base as a means to grow as a community. 

Congressman Gonzales briefly touched upon his work to bring in funding for a potential sports complex here in Del Rio, stating that he took this complex on as one of his community projects this cycle, before turning the conference over to the mayor and leaving words of encouragement for the community. “The future of Del Rio is very bright and it’s so important that we all work together and I certainly have a partner here in the mayor and I look forward to continuing to work together.” 

Mayor Arreola took to the podium to briefly thank Congressman Tony Gonzales for his efforts and partnership on this issue. “The community has been striving to see progress on the airlines and I want to let y’all know that, he (Congressman Gonzales) has not forgotten,” Mayor Arreola said. “Let’s continue on the vision for this airline, thank you for being here.” 

The floor was then opened for questions from the press for both the Congressman and Mayor Arreola. 

When asked about the timeline for the restoration of airline services, which is currently late 2025, Congressman Gonzales shared that, in collaboration with the city and mayor, they were able to receive a federal grant of 1.2 million dollars as an incentive for any airline that is going to reignite this route, telling the press, “That’s important because there are already funds available to get the ball rolling.” He reiterated that because of the importance of the Air Force Base and training programs, Customs and Border Security, and International Trade and Commerce, he will be pushing this project forward as much as possible upon returning to DC. 

The mayor also reminded the press that though there are currently no additional funds in the city budget for the next fiscal year dedicated to the airline restoration aside from the federal grant, the city has been working to maintain and improve the runways and keep TSA at the ready in the meantime. “We haven’t stopped improving the airport, so when we get this airline we’re ready to go,” Mayor Arreola said. 

Expanding further on the timeline and addressing that the lack of airline service in Del Rio is part of a larger set of challenges faced by the airline industry as a whole and not specific to our community, Congressman Gonzales concluded the press conference with these words. “Late 2025 is too late for me, we need the airline now, and the only way you get it now is if you push with everything you have, and Del Rio is unlike anywhere else,” he added. “We just have to work together to echo that message out more forcefully.” 

More updates to come as Congressman Gonzales and the City of Del Rio continue to work together towards the restoration of airline service at the Del Rio International Airport and Connect Del Rio will be following this story closely. 

You can watch the full press conference here