AUSTIN, Texas — Arriving flights at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) are facing delays on Sunday afternoon as the airport deals with staffing issues with air traffic controllers.
According to the FAA, a “traffic management program” is in effect for air traffic arriving into the airport. This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 36 minutes, the FAA said. Traffic into the airport will be slowed until 11 p.m.
Travelers are encouraged to check flight arrival times with AUS or with their airline.
As the airport continues the process of expanding in an effort to accommodate growth and a rise in passenger traffic, the airport is struggling to fill empty positions.
As of Aug. 1, AUS had an 18% vacancy rate compared to the 38% the airport saw in January 2023, according to an airport spokesperson. At that time, there were 121 open positions, which were in "various stages of the recruitment process."
In a statement, the airport said it is doing everything in its power to attain the employees needed:
"We are doing everything we can to hire Department of Aviation employees to support current operations, deliver the expansion, and when the time comes, staff the future operations of an expanded AUS.