Site work for a mixed-use development in Austin, Texas. Working plans call for site work for a bridge / tunnel; and transportation facility.

https://austinmonitor.com/stories/2025/09/austin-airport-expansion-to-get-even-bigger-under-new-deal-approved-by-council/ Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, already bursting at the seams, will see its largest-ever expansion start to take final shape after a City Council vote. For travelers, the decision will lead to more gates, more terminal space and possibly higher ticket prices. Council’s action on Thursday gives airport staff the green light to finalize a long-term deal with seven major airlines: Southwest, Delta, United, JetBlue, Spirit, American and Alaska. The 10-year contract unlocks billions of dollars and sets the scale of ABIA’s two most public-facing expansion projects. One is a new concourse with 20 to 30 gates, connected to the Barbara Jordan Terminal by an underground tunnel. The other is a massive “Arrivals and Departures Hall” the size of six football fields that will serve as a new front door to the airport and bring rideshare pickup back to the curb. A rendering of the future Arrivals and Departures Hall at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Pedestrians can be seen walking on wide, accessible sidewalks. Ceiling-to-floor glass windows form the exterior of the building. Overhead, a pedestrian bridge connects different sections of the airport. Rendering of the future Arrivals and Departures Hall at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, featuring a multilevel roadway and pedestrian bridge. When the expansion is complete in the early 2030s, ABIA’s annual capacity will grow from 15 million travelers to more than 31 million, giving some breathing room to a city-owned facility already serving more than 20 million passengers a year. The so-called “use and lease” agreement with the seven airlines — almost three years in the making — locks in the carriers’ support for the expansion and seals a commitment to lease yet-to-be-constructed space. “We’re hearing from the airlines that they want more than 20 (additional gates). So now we’ve got to make sure that we are scaling up the rest of the projects at the airport,” Austin Aviation Department Assistant Director Sam Haynes said. “We need to build parking infrastructure, curbside (facilities), security checkpoints to meet the passenger activity.” An artistic rendering showing a new Arrivals and Departures Hall with ticket counters and staircases. Travelers are milling about, pulling luggage. The use and lease agreement with seven airlines will nail down their exact needs throughout the airport expansion project, including in the new Arrivals and Departures Hall, shown here in an artistic rendering. The far-reaching contract, effective from January 2026 to September 2035, sets complex formulas to calculate how much airlines pay for everything from gates and ticketing counters to baggage claim and equipment storage. Big cargo carriers could sign on, too. Exact details will remain under wraps until airlines sign off by the end of the year. But some information has trickled out. ABIA’s financial chief Rajeev Thomas said carriers will pay about $20 for each passenger who boards a plane, up from the current $15 — a cost increase that could show up in ticket prices. “I can’t speak for how the airlines will manage that,” Thomas told airport commissioners this month when asked if it could impact ticket prices. “But there are other airports within that range currently, where they are at a $20 cost per enplanement.” Southwest Airlines, the biggest carrier at ABIA, has revealed it hopes to become the flagship airline in the new concourse. The Dallas-based carrier already leases 10 of the airport’s existing 34 gates and is looking to nearly double that footprint. “We look forward, pending approval, to being the anchor tenant in the new Concourse B,” Southwest lobbyist Sherri Hull told airport commissioners. “We’re going to grow our presence to 18 gates, pending approval. … That signals not just a lot of gates, but a lot of flights.” An overhead illustration showing the new concourse with 20 gates connected to the Barbara Jordan Terminal. The illustration shows a pink rectangle signifying an underground walkway that would connect travelers to the expansion. Southwest is positioning itself as the main occupant of the new concourse, shown here in an overhead illustration. The 130-foot-wide concourse will initially have between 20 and 30 gates with room to add more in the future. Airlines with fewer flights — including Aeromexico, Air Canada, British Airways, Copa, Hawaiian, KLM and Lufthansa — operate on month-to-month contracts. They pay 15% more than airlines operating under the decade-long contract. Rates are adjusted every year. Ultra-low-cost carriers Allegiant and Frontier will remain at the South Terminal until it’s closed early next year. The city plans to demolish the building to make space for a $347 million pair of taxiways, the roads that get planes to and from runways. Both discount airlines will receive new month-to-month agreements in September, their first chance to commit to moving from the bare-bones South Terminal to the more costly Barbara Jordan Terminal. A rendering of new taxiways showing an aerial view ABIA at sunset. Several airplanes are parked on the tarmac, and a few are taxiing on the illuminated taxiways. The airport control tower is visible in the background, and the surrounding landscape stretches out into the distance under a sky dotted with scattered clouds. Work has already begun on a pair of new taxiways. The taxiways and their associated infrastructure will require demolition of the South Terminal, which is expected to happen next year. The public won’t learn the final gate count until the airlines approve the deal by January. The total cost of the expansion should be confirmed then, too. An official price tag of $4 billion has long been used as a placeholder estimate. “Unlike many large airports in the United States, (ABIA) is not a hub to any single airline, and that makes this a vote of confidence from our collective signatory airline partners,” ABIA business officer Tracy Thompson said. “They are choosing to make long-term commitments and big investments in Austin because they believe in the growth of this market and in our region’s future.” This story was produced as part of the Austin Monitor’s reporting partnership with KUT. The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here. ------------------------------ https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2025/07/11/austin-infrastructure-academy-sees-early-success.html The Austin Infrastructure Academy, launched in March 2025, is already showing early success in its mission to train local residents for careers in construction and mobility infrastructure. The initiative is overseen by Workforce Solutions Capital Area (WSCA) and is designed to support the region’s growing need for skilled labor amid $25 billion in upcoming infrastructure projects, including light rail, I-35 upgrades, airport expansion, and a new convention center. _____________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2025/06/12/abia-sees-activity-levels-decline-april-2025.html These declines in activity have implications for the airport's ongoing expansion projects. ABIA is planning a significant $4 billion expansion, which includes the construction of a new concourse with at least 20 gates, connected to the Barbara Jordan Terminal by an underground pedestrian tunnel. This expansion aims to accommodate the growing passenger demand, which is projected to reach 30 million annually by 2027. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Preconstruction and construction phase services to construct a new midfield Concourse B with 20 new airline gates and underground tunnel serving passenger, baggage and utilities As of April 8, 2025, a construction manager at risk has been selected. A timeline to subcontract trade opportunities has not been announced. Major construction is anticipated to begin 2027 with opening 2030.