AUSTIN, Texas — On Thursday, Austin Transportation officials met to provide an update on pandemic recovery at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), as well as developments in the City's research on connected automated vehicles (CAVs).
Officials said AUS is bouncing back after the COVID-19 pandemic and showing promising signs of recovery. Jacqueline Yaft, the airport's CEO, unveiled a list of factors she said makes her optimistic for the coming year:
- The latest data shows the first increase in year-over-year monthly passenger traffic since March 2020.
- This summer, AUS will offer more nonstop destination options than it did during summer 2019.
- Airlines are showing strong confidence in the Austin market, announcing new operations and routes.
- AUS’s cargo operations have consistently increased to meet the demand pandemic-induced e-commerce trends, with a 36% increase in cargo volume in 2020 compared to 2019.
- The likelihood of international carrier service resuming this summer is rising as more people are vaccinated.
“AUS supplies thousands of jobs and connects Central Texans to people, places and goods,” said Gina Fiandaca, assistant city manager for mobility. “Although it’s clear there’s still a road to full recovery ahead, it’s exciting to see one of our community’s biggest economic drivers beginning to see a positive rebound.”
Airport leaders also added that in March 2021, passenger traffic was up 4.9% compared to March 2020.
While leisure travel is returning, there's still uncertainty about when business travel will rebound to pre-pandemic levels.
On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced AUS would receive an $898,120 airport improvement project grant to improve the airport's drainage and erosion control.
“Investing in our nation’s infrastructure is how our country helped spark an aviation industry that now supports millions of jobs,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in a statement. “These Airport Improvement Program grants will help modernize America’s airports and ensure that our air transportation system remains the safest and most efficient in the world.”
Additionally, City leaders provided updates Thursday on efforts to enhance Austin's transportation infrastructure with CAVs.
"Through a series of partnerships with innovators, Austin Transportation is on the brink of building a network that can provide CAVs with real-time information to optimize traffic signal timing, reduce congestion and fuel consumption," the City of Austin said in a press release.
Over the last five years, Austin has been working with wireless network operators to deploy advanced technology infrastructure across the city in hopes that the department can safely roll out CAVs, which combine the use of autonomous vehicle's internal sensors with a connected vehicle's ability to communicate with nearby vehicles and infrastructure.
Currently, the City is exploring the use of Public Infrastructure Network Nodes (PINN), which would essentially be something like poles placed across the city that house smart technology, which can interact with these vehicles.
“We’re continuously facilitating partnerships and collaborations with regional stakeholders to ensure emerging technologies meet the needs of our community,” said Jason JonMichael, assistant director of the Austin Transportation Department.
Moving forward, City leaders plan to continue developing partnerships for advanced technologies and weigh their options in establishing centers to test and evaluate other infrastructure technologies.
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