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AUSTIN, Texas – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) announced it has been awarded $33.27 million from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Terminal Program as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. The awarded funds will support the construction of the airport’s new Concourse B project, including the construction of an underground tunnel that will connect the new Concourse to the existing Barbara Jordan Terminal.
Concourse B, a key project within the airport’s Journey With AUS expansion program, will create at least 20 new airlines gates to support more airline operations to meet the air service demands of the Central Texas community. The project will also add more restaurants, shops, lounges, live music venues and more passenger amenities to provide travelers with a safe, comfortable and authentic Central Texas experience when they choose to fly AUS.
The Concourse B project is currently in the early stages of design as airport teams on-board the selected design firms, a Page and Fentress Joint Venture. Airport leadership aims to begin significant construction of the Concourse in 2027 and is working to open the facility to the traveling public as early as the year 2030, following the opening of the expanded terminal's new Arrivals & Departures Hall.
To date, the Concourse B project has been awarded $47.62 million from the FAA’s Airport Terminal Program, which is a competitive grant program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will invest approximately $1 billion in funding to airport terminals across the country. AUS will continue to apply for this competitive grant as well as using traditional airport financing methods, like airport revenue bonds, cash-on-hand and future airport revenues, to fund the Concourse B project and other expansion program projects.
In addition to securing the funding announced today, the Journey With AUS expansion program has made several milestones in the last month, including breaking ground on the Midfield Taxiways project, completion of vertical steel installation on the West Infill project and receiving Austin City Council approval for the design and construction professional services contracts for the Concourse B project and the Arrivals and Departures Hall project.
“The Austin airport and its workers play a critical role in our growing district. More gates and flights means cheaper fares and shorter wait times for Austinites,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas). “I’m grateful for this $30 million in federal funding to create new gates, good jobs, and even better facilities at Austin-Bergstrom.”
Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), “This investment represents the next step in the near doubling of the capacity at our overcrowded airport. The Infrastructure Law I strongly supported alongside my Democratic colleagues continues to deliver. It is helping to meet the needs of Central Texans with eventual construction of a billion-dollar new concourse and the tunnel to reach it.”
Mayor Kirk Watson, “I applaud our federal partners at the FAA and our federal delegation for their support in advancing the Austin-Bergstrom expansion program. I also want to thank the airport teams who have been working tirelessly to fast track airport improvements and meet project milestones. Now that AUS has reached a 20 million annual passengers, we’re competing with large-sized airports across the country for these federal dollars. I’m grateful to see our airport maintain a competitive edge in securing funding that will deliver an improved airport for Austin residents and businesses.”
T.C. Broadnax, Austin City Manager, “We are deeply grateful to the FAA for this award. It demonstrates their ongoing commitment to supporting our airport and community. The FAA’s support is vital not just to our airport expansion program but critical in ensuring we can operate a safe, comfortable airport for all of Austin and Central Texas. We’re grateful to receive not only this funding from them but a number of safety, training and technology enhancements they have made at AUS in the last year. Together, the City of Austin and the FAA are committed to working together to ensure AUS remains a world-class gateway to Austin.”
Ghizlane Badawi, AUS CEO, “This funding will aid us in delivering a bigger, better AUS that will be able to meet the air service needs of generations to come. We know our airline partners are eager to expand services from Austin and our teams are working hard to deliver not just the Concourse B project but the full suite of projects under our expansion program that will truly transform Austin-Bergstrom. We can’t thank our partners at the FAA enough for their support. I also want to thank our congressional delegation for their continued advocacy for AUS to ensure we have the federal resources needed to deliver the expansion.”
The traveling public can stay up to date on expansion project progress and terminal construction activities by visiting AustinTexas.gov/AUSJourney and by signing up for monthly updates from the airport via email.
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