Recent reports from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) indicate that passenger traffic in October of this year has seen a decline when compared to the same month last year. Specifically, there were 1,915,146 passengers in October 2024, marking a decrease of 6.14% from October 2023, the airport announced. Notably, enplanements also saw a downturn, totaling 948,951 – a 6.39% fall.
Drilling down into the numbers, major airlines experienced varied fortunes. While Southwest Airlines saw a modest dip of 3.2% in passengers, American Airlines faced a sharp 25.9% drop. On the flip side, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines welcomed increases of 12.5% and 3% respectively. Each carrier, such as Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways, encountered significant declines by 40.7% and 50.9% respectively. Interesting outliers include Frontier Airlines, which doubled its passenger count, and Lufthansa, whose passengers rose by an impressive 63.3%.
Turning to air cargo, there was a marked improvement overall, with total cargo in October 2024 reaching 27,218,819 lbs., reflecting an uptick of 14.72% compared with the previous year. Notably, international air cargo suffered a 4.45% decrease. Specific carriers like Air Transport International recorded a substantial 92.2% rise in cargo carried, in contrast, Federal Express faced a 28.3% reduction.
Regarding aircraft operations, general aviation activities reported positive growth, up by 10.86%. However, combined operations, which account for commercial and military flights, saw a 4.64% decline. Looking at the broader January to October period in 2024, there was a slight downturn in passenger traffic, recording a 1.17% drop from the same timeframe in 2023. Southwest Airlines upheld a growth trajectory with a 6.3% increase in passengers while other airlines like Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air, experienced more pronounced declines of 59.1% and 16.7%, respectively.
The report also presents aggregated totals from the beginning of the year through October. During this period, air cargo volume did well, swelling by 9.67%, with international air cargo rising by nearly one-third. As operations in both passenger traffic and air cargo continue to fluctuate, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport appears to be navigating through a dynamic landscape of air travel and transport demands.
