MEXICO CITY - (September 25, 2003) The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded a $450,000 grant to Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA), Mexico's national airport operator to fund a feasibility study on improving and expanding the Ciudad Obregón International Airport in the northern Mexican state of Sonora. The grant was conferred in a signing ceremony held on August 22, 2003. USTDA Director Thelma J. Askey signed the agreement on behalf of the U.S. Government. Mr. Ricardo Tapia Ruiz, Deputy General Director for New Projects, signed on behalf of the Grantee.

This modernization project, presented to USTDA through the Mexican development bank Nacional Financiera, represents a coordinated effort between ASA, the Sonora State Secretariat of Economic Development and Productivity (SEDEPRO), and the Municipality of Ciudad Obregón. The proposed project will greatly increase the cargo capacity of the airport, which in turn will provide much needed economic development and trade capacity for the state of Sonora and northern Mexico.

The USTDA grant is the second awarded by the agency in 2003 in the field of airport infrastructure and modernization in Mexico. The first grant was in support of the efforts by Hermanos Serdán International Airport in Puebla to upgrade the airport's operations and infrastructure as well as develop an advanced air cargo terminal. Today's grant reflects the USTDA commitment to support trade capacity-building projects that expand a developing country's ability to engage in international commerce. Moreover, the grant is consistent with the goals of the Partnership for Prosperity initiative between Mexico and the United States, which was launched by U.S. President George W. Bush and Mexican President Vincente Fox in 2001.

The USTDA-funded feasibility study will examine the proposed airport cargo hub and its component parts. A U.S. firm will be competitively selected to conduct the study. USTDA will issue a Request for Proposals, via the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fedbizopps.gov, to tender proposals on the provision of expert services related to airport modernization.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, feasibility studies, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment. USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.

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