New legislation should help the Reno-Tahoe International Airport improve and expand its international services.
"Our customs issue was one issue that we saw our whole congressional delegation come together and be in agreement," says Marily Mora, CEO at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Mora says the airport had support from both senators, Harry Reid and Dean Heller, as well Congressman Mark Amodei. They supported a bi-partisan bill that could bring more U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers to smaller airports across the country, including Reno-Tahoe. International passengers leaving the country go through the normal Transportation Security Administration screening, but passengers entering go through customs. The office in Reno has just three officers.
"So right now the processing time is 90 minutes," says Mora, "and we've, from the get go, said if customs won't put in additional staffing, we will pay for it."
H.R. 875, signed into law by President Obama on Friday, December 16th, will allow the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority to reimburse customs for up to five additional officers.Â
"You know, this is like the Christmas miracle, we've been working on this for over two years," Mora says the airport has always had the means to pay for the officers but there was not a mechanism for CBP to legally accept the money, until now.
More officers would not only be able to relieve pressure if a current officer is out sick or on vacation but also make processing more efficient. If an officer is out, CBP tries to bring up an additional officer from Sacramento to help out. Volaris is the only international service into Reno, with a non-stop flight from Guadalajara, Mexico. Extra officers would cut down the 90-minute processing time for those passengers and allow the airline to expand service to other cities in Mexico. Other international airlines could soon follow.
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection denied the landing permit for Thomas Cook," says Mora, talking about the London-Reno flight planned for 2015, "because of concerns over having the appropriate number of people to staff that flight. So those are opportunities that we'll revisit in the future knowing that we can bring on more staff and have that control."
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In a statement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection tells Channel 2 that since H.R.875 was signed less than a week ago, it is too early to determine the direct impact it will have on Reno-Tahoe International Airport. It goes on to say:
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a dual mission: first and foremost, to protect our borders and our national security; and, second, to facilitate the flow of lawful goods and people in and out of the country. To accomplish this mission CBP uses a risk-based approach and assigns officers and resources based on risk assessments. Those risks are continuously evaluated and personnel and resources are assigned accordingly."
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Mora says the airport will likely request one additional officer (which would be paid for by RTAA) bringing the total number of officers to 4 out of a possible 8.Â
"We have to be accepted into a program by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and that process will open early next year," says Mora, "but what we're looking at is we're probably still a year or more away from seeing additional personnel."
