Passenger traffic in 2000 increased by 14%, up to 7.6 million passengers coming both on and off planes. That number will be almost 19 million by 2020. Air cargo was up 39%, with 357 tons of cargo shipped. The growth is continuing this year.
The airport's performance has surpassed the original master plan, completed in 1993. "At this point, our forecasting is based upon those demand levels," Tamara Moore, airport planner, tells GlobeSt.com. "We look at what our facilities can handle and what we do need in the future, in terms of land side and air side facilities."
The new master plan, which has been unveiled for public review, is expected to cover needs for the next 20 years. Cargo space will be doubled to 400,000 sf. The existing 200,000 sf had been developed by Lynx Group of Austin and Aeroterm. Third-party developers are being courted for proposals to beef up the space. Because cargo space is close to capacity, Moore is expecting new proposals for space in the short term, possibly five years.
The airport also has room for another fixed-based operator such as Signature and Austin Aero. Close to 280 private planes are housed on site, but the airport property still has plenty of room for growth. Only 20 of the 47 available acres have been developed.
The airport has just 10 acres available for airport support facilities. That's expected to double, too, and provide room for services such as tug operations. It too is being offered to a third-party developer.
Moore says it's often easier to overestimate than underestimate development. When airports underestimate, as the facility has been close to doing, then its facilities are inadequate although gates and fields are in great shape.
"We're not at capacity, but we are feeling a little bit of a crunch," Moore says. "We have a lot more constraints in areas such as parking and curbside congestion than we anticipated. Those are things we're going to have to address."
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