Austin Airport Sets New Passenger Record On 20th Anniversary

AUSTIN, TX — The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport closed out its 20th anniversary year with a bang: A new annual passenger record with more than 17 million people traveling through the travel hub last year, officials revealed on Friday.

All told, 17,343,729 traversed the airport in 2019, officials said, representing the tenth record-breaking year in a row with a year-to-year increase over 2018 of 9.6 percent. What's more, passenger traffic has tripled since the airport's opening in 1999, officials added.

In addition to smashing annual passenger records,officials said, the airport achieved myriad milestones in 2019 — including the naming in June of Jacqueline Yaft as its new executive director.

“The employees of the Aviation Department accomplish astounding records and milestones year after year, for which we are all very proud,” Austin Assistant City Manager Gina Fiandaca said in a prepared statement. “With Jacqueline’s leadership, the airport will continue to be a world-class facility we treasure as a community, while also rapidly growing to meet the needs of Central Texas in the future.”

Another milestone emerged on the construction front with the February opening of the 9-gate terminal expansion that increased the total number of gates at the Barbara Jordan Terminal to 34. In 2019 alone between the 9-gate terminal expansion and the existing Barbara Jordan Terminal, officials noted construction completed on more than 30 concessions.

The airport's growth is reflected in the consumption of hungry travelers at its various concession stands. Last year, officials said, Austin travelers took advantage of those new concession options and enjoyed:

• 1,603,602 tacos.
• 71,798 pounds (35.9 tons) of brisket.
• 28,281 Lammes Candies.
• 48,810 Austin and Texas themed stickers.
• 12,107 guitar picks.
• 1,200 pounds of cheese & 2,000 bottles of Texas wine at Vino Volo.
• 489 kegs of Real Ale Axis IPA.
• 3,000 bottles of Tito’s Vodka.

In the throes of celebration, it's often more effective to say it with music. Such melodious expressions abound at the airport with 1,327 live music performances across seven stages throughout the terminal — a fitting offering in a city that boasts of its reputation as the "live music capital of the world."

To keep up with what has grown to 31 live shows a week, officials said the airport’s Arts and Music Program launched Experience AUS. Experience AUS is a mobile platform allowing travelers to text “AUSTIN” to 56512 explore music schedules and performance locations, art tours, games for kids, and options for offsetting their carbon footprint when travelling.