Austin airport's South Terminal closing as part of ongoing AUS expansion

Austin airport's south terminal closes

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's South Terminal is closing after being open since April 2017.

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's South Terminal is closing today on Tuesday, March 31.

What we know:

The South Terminal opened April 13, 2017, and airport officials say it has served millions of passengers since then.

Officials say the closure of the South Terminal will allow for the development of the New Midfield Taxiways project, which is an essential component of the Journey With AUS which is Austin airport's expansion and development program.

The new taxiways are expected to improve aircraft movement across the airfield, reduce congestion, and enhance overall operational efficiency.

"It's not quite the scenario of if we build it, they will come in regard to the airlines. We are building the airport because the airlines and the passenger activity is already here," said Sam Haynes, ABIA deputy chief. 

What's next:

Beginning April 1, 2026, all Allegiant and Frontier flights will operate from the Barbara Jordan Terminal, bringing all AUS commercial airline operations under one roof.

"We have gone ahead and expanded the Barbara Jordan Terminals. We have a new TSA Checkpoint 4 with four new TSA lanes. We've got two new ticket counters on the west side that Allegiant and Frontier will use, and three new gates over on the west side as well," said Haynes.

Airport officials say in addition to infrastructure improvements, consolidating all airline operations into the Barbara Jordan Terminal will create a more unified and convenient passenger experience, with centralized access to ticketing, security screening, dining, shopping, and amenities.

"You'll come to a busier airport, but ultimately you're going to have more choices for concessions. You'll have live music. You'll see so much of what people love about Austin's airport that we just were never able to make it happen here," said Haynes.

Prior to opening the new Concourse B, AUS will construct and open Concourse M.

The details of it were announced on March 23. 

Both the new Midfield Taxiways and Concourse M are located in the current location of the South Terminal facility, which is why the airport must close the operation and remove the structure.