On a clear morning Sept. 1, Grey Eagle Aviation Inc. launched its charter air service to San Felipe in Baja California, Mexico with a nine-passenger Cessna Caravan that took flight from McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad.

Dignitaries from Mexico who boarded the inaugural flight in Calexico included Samuel Ramos Flores, mayor of Mexicali; Roberto Martin del Campo Santana, secretario particular del presidente municipal; and Victor Rodriguez, president of Cotuco, San Felipe’s convention and tourism association.

Mexicali Mayor Ramos Flores said the first specialty airline service to San Felipe with a population of about 25,000 is the result of lengthy negotiations between U.S. and Mexican officials.

“All of us know when something starts, we have to knock down a lot of barriers,” Ramos Flores said soon after disembarking at Aeropuerto Internacional in San Felipe. “A dream becomes a challenge. You will see that there are a lot of efforts between local, state and national governments to make this a reality.”

Flight Schedules

Until U.S. Customs agents begin operating out of McClellan-Palomar in January, Carlsbad-based Grey Eagle will offer round-trip service to the coastal town 200 miles southeast of San Diego from only Long Beach International Airport and Brown Field Municipal Airport in Otay Mesa. Flights from McClellan-Palomar are scheduled to begin in January and passports will be required for Grey Eagle passengers at that location.

International flights are scheduled every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. Round-trip flights depart Long Beach at 8 a.m. and depart Brown Field at 9:30 a.m. Return flights to the United States depart San Felipe at 3:30 p.m., returning to Brown Field at 4:40 p.m. and Long Beach International at 6 p.m.

The charter air service gives business travelers and tourists an alternative to the four- to six-hour drive from Southern California to San Felipe. A flight out of McClellan-Palomar takes about an hour and a half each way, and delays at the international border crossing are bypassed.

The service was primarily initiated by Grey Eagle Aviation President Mel Holmes and San Felipe Developer’s Association President Armando Ramos, who owns the Marina Resort & Spa in San Felipe. The pair spent more than a year negotiating terms of the deal designed to bring more business and real estate investors to San Felipe.

“We expect a return on our money, that’s automatic,” Holmes said. “We want to serve the community and do it as efficiently as we can and develop a great relationship with Mexico.”

Investing In Growth

Derek Hadge, district sales manager at the San Diego office of San Felipe Marina Resort & Spa, said San Felipe is on the verge of a development boom. With 30 new developments built in the fishing village during the past two years, he said investors envision rapid growth into what could become a Mexican resort such as Cabo San Lucas.

Expansion plans in Mexico include widening the main road from Mexicali to San Felipe from a two-lane into a four-lane road. Infrastructure issues being addressed include providing electricity and tapping fresh-water aquifers for drinking water.