Austin airport expansion gets green light, doubles capacity

Published on Sep 3, 2025, 4:16 pm CDT

5 min read

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is moving ahead with its largest build ever after the Austin City Council approved long-term airline agreements on August 28. The deal paves the way for a new concourse with 20 to 30 gates, an underground tunnel to the Barbara Jordan Terminal, and a massive arrivals and departures hall. When complete in the early 2030s, the AUS expansion will lift annual capacity from 15 million to more than 30 million travelers. The airport already serves more than 20 million passengers per year.

Key Points

Why it matters: AUS expansion will more than double gate capacity and relieve crowding.
Travel impact: A larger arrivals and departures hall will improve curbside access and flows.
What's next: Final gate counts, allocations, and total program cost arrive by early 2026.
Seven airlines are party to the deal, including Southwest, Delta, and United.
New gates connect to the Barbara Jordan Terminal via an underground tunnel.

Snapshot

City approval lets AUS finalize a decade long use and lease agreement with seven major carriers, a move that unlocks funding and sets the scope of two centerpiece projects. First is a new concourse, initially sized for 20 to 30 gates, connected to the Barbara Jordan Terminal by an underground tunnel. Second is a large arrivals and departures hall that will serve as the airport's new front door, improving curbside, ticketing, and baggage operations. The agreement takes effect on January 1, 2026, with completion expected in the early 2030s. Capacity will rise from facilities built for 15 million annual travelers to more than 30 million.

Background

The vote caps nearly three years of negotiations between AUS and its airline partners. The carriers will lease the new space and help fund construction through airport rents and fees, a common model for large U.S. airport programs. Recent growth has stretched the Barbara Jordan Terminal, making gate availability and curbside flow persistent pressure points. In parallel, enabling projects like new midfield taxiways are underway to clear the airfield for the new concourse footprint. AUS expects to publish the final gate count, per airline allocations, and the program's total cost by early 2026, aligning with the agreements' start.

Latest Developments

New concourse and arrivals hall anchor the Austin airport expansion

Under the agreement approved on August 28, airport staff can finalize terms with seven airlines, including Southwest, Delta, United, JetBlue, Spirit, American, and Alaska. The concourse will open with 20 to 30 gates and room to grow, linked to the Barbara Jordan Terminal by an underground pedestrian tunnel. A new arrivals and departures hall, roughly the size of several football fields, will modernize ticketing and baggage, and it is expected to bring rideshare pickup back to the curb. The airport targets the early 2030s for completion, with airlines committing to lease more than 20 new gates.

Airlines signal demand while AUS finalizes scope and costs

Southwest, already the largest carrier at AUS, has indicated interest in becoming the anchor tenant in the new concourse, seeking up to 18 gates as part of its Austin growth strategy. The use and lease agreement, effective January 1, 2026 through the mid 2030s, sets the formulas for rents and fees, which could modestly raise airline costs per passenger. AUS will confirm the final gate count and publish program costs by early 2026 after negotiations conclude. The airport says the approvals represent a pivotal milestone for Central Texas and its rapidly growing travel market.

Route growth keeps pressure on the Barbara Jordan Terminal

AUS continues to add service, from long haul international to new domestic spokes, which intensifies gate pressure until the new concourse opens. Delta is expanding with new links to Denver, Columbus, and Kansas City, plus added frequency to San Francisco and Indianapolis. British Airways plans additional U.S. flying in 2026, maintaining strong transatlantic competition that benefits Central Texas travelers. These moves underscore how the AUS expansion and the Barbara Jordan Terminal connection will support continued demand as the region grows. See recent coverage: Delta Austin expansion adds Denver, CMH, and MCI and British Airways boosts U.S. flying for summer 2026.

Analysis

For travelers, the AUS expansion fixes today's bottlenecks and sets up tomorrow's growth. The new concourse adds the gates that airlines need to schedule peak banks without cascading delays from tight turns and tow offs. The underground tunnel to the Barbara Jordan Terminal creates a weather protected passenger flow, while the arrivals and departures hall improves curbside operations and baggage handling. That combination should trim dwell times at security and baggage claim, which matters on full flights. The carrier list also signals broad support, with both full service and value airlines committing to leases. Costs per enplanement may rise as construction advances, but the tradeoff is more capacity, more nonstop options, and a terminal experience scaled to a region that has outgrown a 15 million passenger design. If AUS hits its early 2030s timeline, Central Texas will gain a more resilient hub for business and leisure travel.

Final Thoughts

Austin's decade defining build is finally lined up, with airlines and the city rowing in the same direction. Expect enabling airfield work to continue, route announcements to keep coming, and visible terminal changes to ramp up as 2026 approaches. For flyers, the payoff is a wider map and a smoother trip through a facility designed for the traffic Austin generates today, not a decade ago. That is the promise of the Austin airport expansion.