Arizona will be home to SkyBridge Arizona, the nation’s first international air cargo hub to house both Mexican and US customs. The first-of-its-kind service, which will be operated out of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, will enable ecommerce companies, manufacturers, and other commercial interests conducting business in Mexico and throughout Latin America to more efficiently and cost-effectively transport goods between countries, while ensuring proper inspections and safety controls.

The project is expected to create 17,000 direct and indirect jobs and increase cargo flights out of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport by 2,000 a year, eventually reaching 10,000 by 2036.

“The arrival of SkyBridge Arizona once again proves that our state is a national leader in advancing innovative new ideas,” said Arizona Governor Douglas Ducey. “Arizona has forged an incredible relationship with our friends and neighbors in Mexico and we’re very proud of this latest collaboration to enhance international trade and create more jobs for Arizonans.”

Agreements signed with US Customs and Border Protection, Mexico’s Administracion General de Aduanas, and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport create America’s first and only inland international air logistics and processing hub with Mexico.

The new services provided by SkyBridge Arizona at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport will allow users to send products anywhere in Mexico without having to go through the cumbersome and inefficient international customs center in Mexico City.

The Unified Cargo Processing Program – jointly operated by both US and Mexico customs officers – seamlessly approves incoming and outgoing freight at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport bound for customers on either side of the US-Mexico border. The UCP pilot program began last year in Nogales, Arizona and has been approved for air freight to SkyBridge Arizona.

All required documents, inspections, tracking and other services will occur on-site at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. The Customs Processing status will follow packages and cargo electronically to their final destination to any city in Mexico, and eventually further into Central and South America. The UCP program will be operational at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in the coming months.