Operational since December 2015, CBX consists of a terminal building located in the Otay Mesa community that is connected to the airport with a dedicated 120-meter (390 ft) pedestrian bridge that travels over the United States–Mexico border.

Conversely, arriving passengers walk over the bridge and clear U.S. customs and immigration upon reaching the Otay Mesa terminal before exiting on the U.S.

[5][6][7] Conceptualized in 1989 by Ralph Nieders,[8][9] CBX is managed by Otay-Tijuana Venture LLC, a consortium of U.S. and Mexican companies including PAP, PALAREO, EGI-OTAY Investors with financing from Invex and Bancomext.

The proposal was accepted and a letter of intent drawn in 1990 for the acquisition of Martinez Ranch (parcel number APN 667-050-07) as the designated site for the cross-border terminal.

[12] SANDAG did not support the development of a cross-border terminal as it sought to again revive its efforts to create a bi-national airport on San Diego's Otay Mesa and Mexicana de Aviación opted not to pursue the project in January, 1991.

As shown by image 2, an updated rendering was then created showing a fully developed Tijuana airport and how its cargo and passengers would directly connect to San Diego's surface streets and freeway system.

In 1993, San Diego's efforts to develop a regional bi-national airport failed[13] and a recession during that same period also caused the collapse of land values in Otay Mesa.

The Tijuana cross-border terminal project then reverted to Mexico's airport authority Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA) and was privately promoted by Gilberto Valenzuela and Ralph Nieders.

Gilberto Valenzuela Ezquerro contacted Eduardo Sanchez-Navarro Redo and arrangements were made for Christian Checa Levien, son-in-law of Laura Diez-Barroso Azcarraga de Laviada, to meet with Ralph Nieders to discuss the development of a cross-border terminal and land options.

Samuel Zell of Equity International then became interested and his representative David Contis met with Christian Checa and Ralph Nieders.

For its design and innovation in the category of Airport and Ports, in April 2016 Engineering News-Report (ENR) gave the Otay-Tijuana Cross Border Xpress (CBX) its Global Award For Merit.

[23] In 2020, an additional restroom facility was added to the building and the duty-free area underwent a renovation completed by Delawie Architects and Turner Construction Company.