AUS approaching 10 million passengers for the year, amid record June numbers
Almost 10 million passengers flew through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in the first six months of the year, a new record high.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Almost 10 million passengers flew through the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in the first six months of the year, marking a new record high.
Between January and June, AUS reported 9,995,485 passengers visited the airport, beating the previous record for the same time period of 8,269,731, set in 2019.
In June alone, 1,985,801 passengers were reported, making it the second-busiest month ever at AUS, only behind May 2022, which saw more than 2 million passengers.
June's total is a 45% increase compared to June 2021, which at the time was the busiest month since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 12 saw the most passengers in a single day for the month, with 34,419 in total. That ranks as the third-busiest day in the airport's history.
June 3 and 24 also appears in the top 10 busiest days of all time, each with 33,204 passengers.
Oct. 25, 2021, remains the busiest day ever at AUS, being the only day to top 35,000 passengers.
Southwest Airlines remains the largest airline operating at AUS in terms of passenger traffic. Almost four in 10 passengers in June traveled on a Southwest flight.
American Airlines is the second largest, with a little more than a quarter of all passengers flying with the airline. Delta Air Lines accounted for 11.8% of passengers at AUS, and United Airlines flew about 10% of passengers. Alaska Airlines is a distant fifth, carrying 4.4% of passengers in June.
A majority of airlines saw an increase in passenger traffic in June 2022 compared to June 2021.
Allegiant Airlines saw the largest growth in passenger totals. In June 2022, the airline flew 51,544 passengers, up from 27,573 in June 2021 — an 87% increase.
American increased its passenger totals by 62%. The airline began new nonstop routes to Cozumel, Mexico, and Montego Bay, Jamaica, on June 11.
A couple of airlines did see lower passenger totals this June compared to last. Frontier Airlines carried 10,651 this year, compared to 21,406 in June 2021, a decrease of 50%. Meanwhile, JetBlue Airways saw a 29% decrease in passenger traffic.
Spirit Airlines dropped by 2%, despite a new nonstop to Monterrey, Mexico that launched June 22.
Swift Air reported 197 passengers in June 2021, but none in June 2022.
Meanwhile, several airlines flew passengers in June 2022 but not in June 2021, due to COVID-related route cancelations. Aeromexico resumed flights in July 2021, and Air Canada and British Airways returned in October 2021.
Air Canada reported more than 10,000 passengers in June 2022 for the first time. The airline launched a new nonstop to Vancouver on June 1.
Dutch airline KLM began its nonstop Austin-Amsterdam route on March 28. Meanwhile, German airline Lufthansa resumed its nonstop route to Frankfurt on April 8, after a two-year hiatus due to COVID. British airline Virgin Atlantic launched its nonstop route to London Heathrow on May 25.