dean knuth / arizona daily star 2008

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Mexican airline Aeromexico has suspended nonstop flights between Tucson and Hermosillo, Sonora — Tucson International Airport's only international flight.

Ironically, the last inbound flight from the Mexican state will be Saturday, when the new terminal for international airline flights opens at TIA.

"I'm disappointed, I hate to see to see the flights go," said Roger Wheaton, U.S. Customs and Border Protection port director at TIA. "Tucson is too big of a market not to have at least one commercial flight south."

Aeromexico's last flight from Tucson to Hermosillo was Oct. 1, said Lourdes Salgado, an airline spokeswoman.

At a time when Tucson is trying to market itself as a business region with Sonora, the loss of the direct flight to the Sonoran capital is especially painful.

Although only about 8,000 passengers used this flight each year, its loss could create the perception that Tucson isn't competitive, said Laura Shaw, senior vice president of corporate and community affairs for Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc.

"It does make an impact," she said. "Still, I think people understand the market and economic climate we're in. We expect to pick up flights again."

TREO works closely with airport officials to address the economic impact of available flights, Shaw said.

With the loss of the Hermosillo flight, TIA is down to 17 nonstop destinations from a high of 29 early this year.

Aeromexico had four flights a week between Tucson and Hermosillo, said Paula Winn, spokeswoman for the Tucson Airport Authority.

Aeromexico has two non-stop flights to and from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix — to Hermosillo and Mexico City. There are 10 other destinations in Mexico that can be reached on direct flights from Sky Harbor.

The new international terminal at TIA was the result of a two-year project to recruit more international airlines, Wheaton said. He noted the majority of international travelers arrive on private or chartered planes and are processed at a different terminal.

In the last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, CBP officers at TIA processed about 340 commercial flights with 8,000 passengers and nearly 4,000 private or chartered planes carrying 25,000 passengers.

For now, those in the business of marketing Tucson to global businesses cling to the hope that the loss of the flight is temporary, said John Grabo, director of marketing and international programs at the University of Arizona's Office of Economic Development.

"The absence of a direct, nonstop flight (to Mexico) is disappointing, especially at a time when we're trying to improve our global standing," he said.

The key for Tucson leaders is to set things in motion for when the economy turns upward, said Grabo, who is also head of Global Advantage, Southern Arizona's international economic-development program.

"The economy will turn, and we have to be in a position to come out on the other side," he said. "We have to continue to market Tucson to airlines and companies looking to invest. . . . We cannot turn the lights off and wait for things to get better."

He said no one should be critical of Tucson when things such as lost flights occur.

"There is no flaw to Tucson," Grabo said. "This a nationwide contraction."

Bringing more flights to TIA is a communitywide effort that begins with traveling out of the Old Pueblo's airports, he said. That will bring in more airline business.

"Does it hurt? Yes," Grabo said. "But it doesn't mean we surrender. Surrender is not an option."