Welcome to Boca Raton

City officials hope to be able to attract more international business

Elected officials get a sneak peek of the new U.S. Customs facility at Boca Raton Airport.

Behind the passport check-in desk is a bright blue sign with a friendly greeting: Welcome to Boca Raton.

Elected officials on Tuesday got a sneak preview of the 4,400-square-foot U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility at Boca Raton Airport.

With the opening of the facility, flyers no longer will have check in at other airports before arriving at their destination in Boca. The airport will be truly international, said Mayor Susan Haynie.

“It makes us a global location for international business and corporate headquarters,” Haynie said.

By May, when a ribbon-cutting is planned, airplanes will be able to pull up next to the building and unload international passengers.

“This will help us recruit,” said Jessica Del Vecchio, the city’s economic development manager.

On the airport side, there’s room on the tarmac for two large airplanes and six to eight small ones depending on how they park, said Travis Bryan, airport operations manager.

Planes can’t just arrive, he said about incoming flights from other countries that require customs checks. “They have to file 24 hours in advance and give us a window, generally two hours.”

Hours for clearing customers will be 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays with a phone number provided for afterhours service.

Boaters with international passengers also will rely on the new customs facility to be cleared.