Austin-Bergstrom Airport Posts Record Traffic In 2023; Southwest Tops Market Share

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) handled 22.1 million passengers in 2023, up 4.8% over 2022, which had previously been the airport’s busiest-ever year.

 

Southwest Airlines was the leading carrier at the growing airport serving Texas’s capital in 2023, handling 8.5 million passengers, giving the Dallas-based airline a 38% AUS market share. Southwest carried 5.7% more passengers to and from AUS in 2023 versus 2022.

 

American Airlines was the second leading carrier at the airport in 2023 at 5.3 million passengers, but its numbers were down 3.9% year-over-year, and the airline has cut half of its routes from the airport. Delta Air Lines, which is poised to start utilizing AUS as a connecting airport in its network for the first time in 2024 and has signaled AUS as a growth market, totaled 2.8 million passengers in 2023, up 13.6% year-over-year.

 

Mexico’s Viva Aerobus will launch nonstop flights to Monterrey, Mexico, in March, becoming the latest international airline to open service at AUS. Aeromexico, Air Canada, Copa Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic already operate international flights to AUS.

 

Traffic handled at AUS, which opened in 1999, has more than tripled over the last two decades, reflecting the fast growth of the Texas capital city and surrounding areas. Last year, AUS broke ground on a main terminal expansion project that will add 84,500 ft.² in space, including three new gates and what the airport calls “an exciting third-level outdoor public patio with amazing views of the city skyline.” AUS is targeting a 2026 completion for the project.

 

AUS is also continuing construction on a new outbound baggage handling system that will be able to process around 4,000 bags per hour.