BY ELLE BENT
Some context
Austin control tower stang
This past year, city leaders and elected o cials raised concerns about safety at the airport. On Nov. 9, Austin City Council passed a resolu- tion, authored by council member Vanessa Fuentes, that prompted action to develop a virtual ramp control system that will help navigate planes on the terminal ramp, the area where aircraft are parked and maintained. This came after an airline employee was killed in April and a city airport employee was killed in October due to accidents in this area. “Instead of having a city of Austin employee stationed somewhere where they are looking at the ramp, like unobstructed watching the aircraft move on the ramp, we are simulating that in a room that’s actually north of the terminal,” Haynes said of the virtual ramp control system. In addition, Rep. Lloyd Doggett addressed the Federal Aviation Administration in a letter Oct. 16, urging the government agency to address low
sta ng of air tra c controllers at ABIA, citing it as a safety issue for the airport after multiple near- misses were reported. “Austin is a growing city, and our airport must grow with it—including sta ng up our air tra c control tower,” Doggett told Community Impact in an email. As part of his requests, Doggett suggested increasing ABIA’s rank to a level 10 terminal facility, meaning the airport is classied as high activity, to reect the airport’s growth and provide more com- pensation to air tra c controllers. Fuentes echoed this in her resolution. “I really believe that [this resolution] will bring the necessary safety changes that the community requires in order for us to have a healthy opera- tional airport,” council member Mackenzie Kelly said Nov. 9. In response to the resolution, an FAA
Total amount of fully certi§ed controllers: 34 Total amount of controllers in training: 8
42 total
The FAA stang standard for ABIA, based on its size, is
51 controllers.
The minimum stang level is 42.
STAFFING NUMBERS ARE AS OF PRESS TIME
SOURCE: FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
spokesperson told Community Impact the agency is committed to safety. “The FAA maintains extremely conservative standards for keeping aircraft safely separated, and multiple layers of safety protect the traveling public,” a spokesperson said.
Busiest travel days in 2023
Looking ahead
April 17 36,253 March 13 36,265 March 10 36,740 Oct. 6 36,460 Oct. 9 37,058 Oct. 16 38,475 Sept. 1 36,290 June 30 35,780 Oct. 23 43,243
START OF SPRING BREAK FOR UT
15 domestic destinations. Despite the canceled routes, the airline will o¥er 19 additional daily departures on available routes compared to 2019, a spokesperson for the airline said. Travelers will also see new routes from other airlines, including a new nonstop route to Oregon from Allegiant, which will y out of the South Terminal. Viva Aerobus will o¥er nonstop ights to Mexico beginning in March.
This past year, ABIA ocials recorded nine dates as the airport’s busiest ever. The Monday following Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend, Oct. 23, was the airport’s busiest day, with 43,243 passengers, according to airport data. In 2024, Haynes said passengers’ experiences may change as ABIA is under construction. Airlines are also announcing changes such as American Airlines, which will cut 21 nonstop ights in 2024, including six international and
BEGINNING OF LABOR DAY WEEKEND FRIDAY BEFORE FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND
MONDAY AFTER FORMULA 1
ABIA OFFICIALS EXPECT MAY, JUNE AND OCTOBER TO BE THE BUSIEST MONTHS OF 2024. TOTALS FOR THE 2023 HOLIDAY SEASON WILL BE AVAILABLE IN MIDFEBRUARY.
SOURCE: AUSTINBERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT COMMUNITY IMPACT
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