Local News
Austin Airport Announces Massive Expansion
In preparation for a whopping 4 million new air travelers coming in and out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the city’s Aviation team has come together to form a massive expansion to the 300,000-square-foot airport.
“We’re seeing amazing growth,” Austin Aviation Department spokesman Jason Zielinski said in a recent report. “The economy in Austin is strong; people are moving here. … We’re going to grow with it.”
Ain’t that the truth.
The unprecedented growth in the area is causing regional planners and scholars to re-think the design of metropolitan areas moving forward, and the airport seems to be no exception.
Rendering of expansion, courtesy of City of Austin Aviation Department
The proposed additions to the ABIA accumulate to 70,000 square feet, which will increase the overall size of the airport by nearly 25 percent. Nine more gates are to be added, and current trends predict an overflow of the 11 million capacity will be official by the time reports are finalized.
“We have attracted a number of new nonstop flights [and] a number of new airlines,” Zielinski told Community Impact. “We’re seeing sustained growth here. There’s a need. We know the airlines want to expand in Austin.”
Image courtesy of City of Austin
The planned expansion first began with talks in City of Austin back in 2014. Since then, it’s grown into a $240 million project with improvements expected to include pet boarding, along with 2,000 more covered parking spaces to go along with the proposed terminal expansion.
The City estimates the airport will then be able to accommodate 15 million annual passengers — an increase of about 36 percent. But it won’t likely require any increases in taxes, instead being funded by grants.
“The airport doesn’t use any taxpayer dollars,” Zielinski said.
The project is expected to take until 2018 to complete.
