AUSTIN, Texas — Austin's airport recorded near-record numbers this month as tens of thousands of people came in and out of the city during South by Southwest (SXSW).
The airport expects more busy days as the PGA's Dell Match Play event kicks off on Wednesday, and NASCAR will be at the Circuit of the Americas at the end of this week – all while SXSW came to an end on Sunday.
An Austin-Bergstrom International Airport spokesperson said three of the SXSW travel dates so far rank in top 10 busiest days in the airport’s history.
March 10, 2023, the Friday before SXSW, was the second busiest day in airport history with 36,841 travelers. March 13, the first Monday of SXSW, wasn't far behind, ranking as the third busiest day in history with 36,265 passengers. And March 12, the Sunday before the music festival kicked off, was the fifth busiest day in airport history, with 35,506 passengers.
The busiest day on record is Oct. 25, 2022, the Monday after the Formula One Grand Prix, with 43,177 passengers.
The airport spokesperson said despite the influx of passengers. everything has gone smoothly for the most part, thanks to extra staff and preparations.
Here are the numbers since March 9:
- Thursday, March 9: 33,858
- Friday, March 10: 36,841
- Saturday, March 11: 29,584
- Sunday, March 12: 35,506
- Monday, March 13: 36,265
- Tuesday, March 14: 30,651
- Wednesday, March 15: 31,047
- Thursday, March 16: 29,068
- Friday, March 17: 27,172
- Saturday, March 18: 24,296
- Sunday, March 19: Over 30,000 projected