Austin–Bergstrom International Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||||||
.jpg) Satellite view in 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | City of Austin Aviation Department | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Greater Austin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Austin, Texas,U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | May 23, 1999; 26 years ago (1999-05-23) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Focus city for | Delta Air Lines[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Built | September 19, 1942; 83 years ago (1942-09-19) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 542 ft / 165 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 30°11′40″N97°40′12″W / 30.19444°N 97.67000°W /30.19444; -97.67000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||||||||||
 FAA airport diagram | |||||||||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Austin–Bergstrom International Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Helipads | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Source:Federal Aviation Administration[3][4] | |||||||||||||||||||
Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, orABIA (IATA:AUS,ICAO:KAUS,FAALID:AUS, formerly BSM), is aninternational airport inAustin, Texas, United States, serving theGreater Austin metropolitan area. Located about 5 miles (8 km; 4 nmi) southeast ofdowntown, it covers 4,242 acres (1,717 ha) and has tworunways and threehelipads.[3][5]
The airport lies on the site of what wasBergstrom Air Force Base, named after Captain John August Earl Bergstrom, an officer who was the first person from Austin to be killed in World War II. The base was decommissioned in the early 1990s, and the land reverted to the city, which used it to replaceRobert Mueller Municipal Airport as Austin's main airport in 1999. The airport is thethird busiest in Texas, afterDallas/Fort Worth andHouston–Intercontinental, as well as the 27th busiest airport in the United States by passenger traffic. As of 2023[update], there are more than 550 arrivals and departures on a typical weekday to 97 destinations in North America and Europe.[6]
In 1942, the city of Austin purchased land and donated the land to thefederal government of the United States for a military installation, with the stipulation that the city would get the land back when the government no longer needed it. This land becameDel Valle Army Air Base, orDel Valle Airfield. Del Valle Airfield was activated on September 19, 1942, on 3,000 acres (12 km2) leased from the City of Austin. The name of the base was changed toBergstrom Army Airfield (AAF) in March 1943 in honor of Captain John August Earl Bergstrom, a reservist in the19th Bombardment Group, who was killed atClark Field, Philippines in 1941. He was the first Austinite killed in World War II. With the separation of theUnited States Air Force andUnited States Army in September 1947, the name again changed toBergstrom Air Force Base. It would have this name until it was decommissioned in the early 1990s, with all military aviation ceasing in 1995 after more than 50 years.[7]
As Austin was quickly outgrowing the oldRobert Mueller Municipal Airport,[8] the city began considering options for a new airport as early as 1971, when theFederal Aviation Administration proposed that Austin andSan Antonio build a joint regional airport. That idea was rejected, as few Austinites supported driving halfway to San Antonio onInterstate 35 to catch a flight. Afterwards, the city submitted a proposal to the United States Air Force for joint use of Bergstrom Air Force Base in 1976. The Air Force rejected the proposal in 1978 as being too disruptive to its operations.
In the 1980s, neighborhoods around Mueller applied enough political pressure to force the city council to choose a site for a new airport from locations under consideration. In November 1987, voters approved a referendum designating a site nearManor. The city began acquiring the land but faced lawsuits from theSierra Club and others concerned about the Manor location and its potential environmental impact.[9]
The plans to construct a new airport at the Manor location were abandoned in 1991 when theBase Realignment and Closure Commission selected Bergstrom for closure, and gave the nod to the city for the land and runways to be converted for use as a civilian airport. The city council decided to abandon the original plan to build the new airport near Manor, and resolved instead to move the airport to the Bergstrom site. The City of Austin hired John Almond—a civil engineer who had recently led the airport design team for the new airport expansion inSan Jose, California—as Project Director for the new $585 million airport in Austin and to put together a team of engineers and contractors to accomplish the task.[10] The issue of a $400 million bond referendum for a new airport owned and operated by the city was put to a public vote in May 1993 with a campaign managed by local public affairs consultant Don Martin and then-MayorBruce Todd and was approved by 63% of the vote. Groundbreaking for the new airport began in November 1994.[11]
On October 23, 1995, with a $10 million budget[12][13] and after the old tower, previously used by theUS Air Force, was demolished,[14] construction began on building Austin's tallest primary building (277 ft (84 m))that housesair traffic controllers. The new tower, completed a year before then-current presidentBill Clinton arrived with his entourage, enabledAir Force One to be granted clearance to land. This made the president the "first passenger" to arrive at the new airport.
The main Air Force runway, 17R/35L, was retained along with most of its taxiways, as its high weight rating and long length would facilitate service by large long-range airliners while reducing construction costs. Bergstom's original secondary runway, 17L/35R, was closed and partially demolished to accommodate new taxiway sections directly connecting 17R/35L to the new terminal. The remnants of the former runway are used as a service road and a parking area for aBoeing 727 used for emergency training. A replacement 9,000-foot (2,700 m) runway 17L/35R was built east of the terminal, along with ageneral aviation complex on the southern side of the airport. Most former military buildings, including the original control tower, were demolished and cleared to make way for the new terminal and parking facilities, although some hangars and parking tarmac to the south was retained, along with a section of tarmac to the northeast of the primary runway that became the foundation for the airport's freight terminal. Some existing bridges were converted for ground vehicle access-road use. Military housing in the northwest portion of the former base was leveled, but some of its roads now serve aTexas Department of Transportation service facility. SeveralTravis County facilities near the airfield, including the county correctional facility and sheriff's training academy, were unaffected by the conversion project.
Bergstrom had thelocation identifier of BSM until Mueller's final closure in 1999 when it took Mueller's IATA code of AUS.[10] Initial issues with flight scheduling and routing led to proposed plans to keep Mueller operating in parallel with Bergstrom for a few weeks, but residents near Mueller blocked such efforts by appealing to the FAA, who refused to delay the transfer of the AUS identifier or to issue a new airport code for Mueller. Austin–Bergstrom opened to the public on May 23, 1999.
Austin–Bergstrom International Airport opened to the public on May 23, 1999, with a 12,250 feet (3,730 m) runway, among the nation's longest commercial runways. TheBarbara Jordan passenger terminal was originally conceived as an 18-gate terminal facility with a footprint of a bit more than 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2). ABIA was expanded during construction to have 24 contact gates with jet bridges (named Gate 2-Gate 25) and one gate without a jet bridge (named Gate 1) for a total footprint of 660,000 sq ft.[15]
The opening of the airport coincided with a considerable number of nonstop flights being operated into Austin from theDallas–Fort Worth metroplex, asAmerican Airlines had decided to compete withSouthwest Airlines' scheduled service betweenDallas Love Field (DAL) and Austin in addition to American andDelta Air Lines service betweenDallas–Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and AUS.[16] At the time, there were 42 nonstop flights every weekday being operated with mainline jet aircraft from the two primary airports located in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex to Austin. By contrast, this same OAG lists a combined total of 24 nonstop flights every weekday at this time from the two primary airports serving the Houston area,William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) andGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), to Austin.[17]
As the population and economic importance of Austin has grown in recent years, airlines have been introducing new nonstop flights to the airport instead of routing passengers through existing hubs in Dallas and Houston, causing dramatic growth in both passenger numbers and nonstop service at Austin–Bergstrom.[18] In March 2014,British Airways inaugurated a flight to London's Heathrow Airport. This was the airport's first scheduled transatlantic service.[19]
The terminal's first expansion project was completed in the summer of 2015. It added an enlarged customs and immigration facility on the arrivals level capable of processing more than 600 passengers per hour, two domestic baggage claim belts, and an enlarged security checkpoint on the ticketing level.[20] In 2019, a $350 million addition to the east side of the terminal added nine new gates, increasing the total number of gates from 25 to 34.[21] These gates are spaced farther apart, to accommodate additional flights operated by larger aircraft. Gates 1+3 and Gates 2+4 are able to act independently of each other when accommodating narrow body aircraft, or as one gate's Door A and Door B in a dual jet-bridge configuration when larger, wide-body aircraft arrive providing boarding options. The number of flexible-use gates that can accommodate both international and domestic flights increased from two to six.[22]
To accommodate the airport's rapid growth, a three-gate South Terminal opened on April 13, 2017. The terminal was built at a cost of US$12 million by a private company, LoneStar Airport Holdings, under a 40-year lease.[23] The terminal reused a building from the Bergstrom Air Force Base, adding outdoor waiting areas and a food-truck retail area. The gates arehardstands, withoutjet bridges, and are used exclusively byultra-low-cost carriersAllegiant Air andFrontier Airlines.[24] The South Terminal is scheduled to be demolished as part of the forthcoming airport expansion, which led to a lawsuit from its operator, LoneStar Airport Holdings. The company says the airport is violating the 40-year lease agreement it signed in 2016 and said that it had invested about $50 million in building and operating the terminal. In 2023, a court agreed with LoneStar, and the airport agreed to a settlement, paying $88 million to break the lease.[23][25]
As of 2024[update], Austin-Bergstrom is undergoing a major expansion program, entitled "Journey With AUS", to accommodate the rapid growth in travel demand.[26][27] Chief amongst the expansion plans are two projects; the first being the construction of a new arrivals and departures hall that will consolidate all ticketing, security screening and baggage claims under one roof.[27] The second being the construction of Concourse B that will include over 20 gates initially, and could be expanded up to 40 in the future.[28] Concourse B will be connected to the existing Barbara Jordan Terminal (to be renamed Concourse A) via an underground tunnel, and the tunnel will be capable of expanding to a future Concourse C.[26]
TheBarbara Jordan Terminal is the airport's main terminal and has a total of 34 gates, six of which are capable of handling international flights.[29] There are several restaurants and food concessions inside the terminal, all but two of which are located inside the secured gate areas of the terminal.[30] There are three airport lounges at the airport, these are run by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. The terminal also has a live music stage on which local bands perform in keeping with the spirit of Austin's proclamation as "The Live Music Capital of the World".
A secondary terminal with three gates known as the South Terminal is used by ultra low-cost carriers Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines.[29] The South Terminal is accessed from a separate entrance on the south side of the airport perimeter from Burleson Road; it cannot be accessed from either the main airport entrance from SH 71 or the Barbara Jordan terminal except by completely exiting the airport grounds. A shuttle bus runs between the two terminals and the trip between the terminals takes between 15 and 20 minutes.[31] The facility has a retro look and passenger gates are not equipped withjet bridges; passengers walk under a covered walkway to board the aircraft by stairs.
Route 20, operated by theCapital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, operates from the arrivals level of the Barbara Jordan Terminal every 15 minutes. The route takes passengers through the East Riverside Corridor toDowntown andUniversity of Texas at Austin before heading east along Manor Road. Route 483 operates after midnight 6 days a week to provide late hours service through the East Riverside Corridor to Downtown.[32]
Through theProject Connect plan,[33] the airport is planned be the southern terminus of theCapital Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityBlue Linelight rail, which will run through the East Riverside Corridor to DowntownAustin andThe University of Texas at Austin as far north as North Lamar/US183. Blue Line construction costs are estimated at $1.3 billion[34] and may be completed as early as 2029.[35] The project (Proposition A[36]) was approved by voters on November 3, 2020.[37]
The airport offers aconsolidated rent-a-car center (ConRAC) in a parking garage northeast of the Barbara Jordan Terminal and connected to the Red Garage. Ten rental car companies have passenger service counters on the second floor of the ConRAC, which can service up to 5,000 vehicles per day. The 1,600,000-square-foot (150,000 m2) facility opened in October 2015 and was built at a cost of US$162 million.[38] A shuttle bus travels between the South Terminal and the ConRAC.
Part of the ConRAC's ground floor serves as a "Ground Transportation Center" providing passengers access to taxis andridesharing companies including Uber and Lyft.[38]
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Atlanta, Georgia | 633,840 | Delta, Frontier, Southwest |
| 2 |  Denver, Colorado | 610,050 | Delta, Frontier, Southwest, United |
| 3 |  Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas | 589,090 | American |
| 4 |  Los Angeles, California | 442,020 | American, Delta, Southwest, Spirit, United |
| 5 |  Las Vegas, Nevada | 395,710 | Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit |
| 6 |  Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona | 389,750 | American, Frontier, Southwest |
| 7 |  Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois | 364,720 | American, Frontier, Southwest, United |
| 8 |  Orlando, Florida | 310,380 | Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit |
| 9 | San Francisco, California | 302,870 | Alaska, Delta, Southwest, United |
| 10 |  Nashville, Tennessee | 295,680 | Delta, Southwest |
| Rank | Airport | Scheduled passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  London–Heathrow, United Kingdom | 223,785 | British Airways |
| 2 |  Cancún, Mexico | 211,731 | American, Southwest |
| 3 | Mexico City, Mexico | 95,264 | Aeroméxico |
| 4 |  Frankfurt, Germany | 94,946 | Lufthansa |
| 5 | San José del Cabo, Mexico | 87,556 | American, Southwest |
| 6 |  Toronto–Pearson, Canada | 84,583 | Air Canada |
| 7 |  Amsterdam, Netherlands | 75,589 | KLM |
| 8 |  Panama City–Tocumen, Panama | 61,158 | Copa Airlines |
| 9 | Monterrey, Mexico | 39,270 | Viva |
| 10 | Vancouver, Canada | 19,909 | Air Canada |
| Rank | Airline | Passengers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southwest Airlines | 8,423,000 | 42.41% |
| 2 | American Airlines | 3,220,000 | 16.21% |
| 3 | Delta Air Lines | 3,001,000 | 15.11% |
| 4 | United Airlines | 2,423,000 | 12.20% |
| 5 | Alaska Airlines | 703,000 | 3.54% |
| Year | Passengers | Year | Passengers | Year | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 6,644,482(a) | 2009 | 8,220,898 | 2019 | 17,343,729 |
| 2000 | 7,642,341 | 2010 | 8,652,480 | 2020 | 6,472,579 |
| 2001 | 7,181,190 | 2011 | 9,085,203 | 2021 | 13,570,771 |
| 2002 | 6,720,668 | 2012 | 9,436,197 | 2022 | 21,089,289 |
| 2003 | 6,706,385 | 2013 | 10,027,694 | 2023 | 22,095,876 |
| 2004 | 7,238,645 | 2014 | 10,719,320 | 2024 | 21,762,904 |
| 2005 | 7,683,545 | 2015 | 11,902,874 | 2025 | |
| 2006 | 8,261,310 | 2016 | 12,439,788 | 2026 | |
| 2007 | 8,885,391 | 2017 | 13,889,305 | 2027 | |
| 2008 | 9,039,075 | 2018 | 15,819,912 | 2028 |
Note:(a); Includes passenger totals atRobert Mueller Municipal Airport for January–May 1999.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
