Southwest Austin - Dripping Springs Edition | December 2023

From the cover

Airport staff expect another record-breaking year

The action taken

What’s happening

On the journey

Spanning over multiple years, the airport’s expansion program consists of projects aimed at creating space and modernizing the airport that was first opened in 1999, said Haynes. Active projects include a new baggage han- dling system for outbound checked bags; the West Gate expansion, which will extend the terminal out past gates 33 and 34 where Spirit Airlines is located; and an airline fuel facility. On Aug. 30, officials broke ground on the West Gate expansion, which will add a total of 84,000 square feet across three levels. In addition, the airport made strides toward its new midfield concourse project in 2023. A new 20-gate concourse, or area in which travelers pass through the airport, will connect to the Bar- bara Jordan Terminal by a tunnel underground, Haynes said. In order to construct the new concourse, the airport acquired the South Terminal from its pre- vious operator, LoneStar Airport Holdings LLC. The previous operator had a 40-year lease on the terminal that began in 2016, and the city settled for $88 million in a lawsuit to end the lease early. Operations of the South Terminal moved over to the city Nov. 1, and the terminal is up for removal by 2025. “This year has been a lot of planning, prepara- tion, sprinkling a little bit of groundbreaking, but it's really a lot of the behind the scenes work that has to get done before we start bringing projects online,” Haynes said. In 2024, airport officials anticipate the comple- tion of its jet fuel facility and a new cargo facility. The year will also see ground breaking on three projects.

ABIA spokesperson Sam Haynes says the growth can likely be attributed to an increased interest in Central Texas. Austin is one of the top 15 largest cities in the United States and Georgetown was the fastest growing city in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. “The story of Central Texas has always been growth,” Haynes said. “That's why we're doing our airport expansion. It's to meet the needs of today while building out a foundation for long term success for our community.” The multi-year expansion program is funded by airport revenue and federal grants and will address the need of a increasing volume of travelers.

In planning

• A new multi-level parking garage that will support both short and long-term parking for up to 30 days • A new arrivals and departure hall to expand ticketing and check-in • A new 20-gate concourse, or area which travelers pass through, that connects to the Barbara Jordan Terminal through an underground tunnel

In design

• Improvements to the international facility that will include new baggage carousels and more queuing space Timeline: estimated to begin construction 2024 • Two parallel taxiways to connect the east and west sides of the building • Ticketing-level atrium infill, which will fill in an open space with 13,000 square feet to avoid TSA lines from queuing outside Timeline: estimated to begin construction 2024 • West infill to expand TSA Checkpoint 3, which will add 16,000 square feet and add additional lanes to a TSA checkpoint Timeline: estimated to begin construction 2024

ABIA to break records

AS OF SEPT. 2023, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF PASSENGERS IS 16.3M

25M

20M

15M

Under construction

• New baggage handling system for outbound checked bags Timeline: estimated completion 2025 • West Gate expansion, which will extend the terminal out past gates 33 and 34, where Spirit Airlines is located Timeline: estimated completion 2026 • New jet fuel facility Timeline: estimated to be completed Oct. 2024

10M

5M

0

- 2019 -

- 2021 2023

SOURCE: AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT/ COMMUNITY IMPACT

SOURCE: AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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