AUSTIN | ABIA Updates

[sammyk]

Yesterday afternoon I saw the Czech Air Force A319CJ land at AUS. Anyone know what it was doing here?

[texastarkus]

Originally Posted by sammyk

Yesterday afternoon I saw the Czech Air Force A319CJ land at AUS. Anyone know what it was doing here?

They were supposed to go thru DFW but there was this sign posted.....

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by sammyk

Yesterday afternoon I saw the Czech Air Force A319CJ land at AUS. Anyone know what it was doing here?

From a Google AI search:

"The Czech Air Force Airbus A319CJ (registration 2801) is in Austin to transport a high-level government and business delegation for SXSW 2026. The delegation, including Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček, is attending to launch the "Czech House" at SXSW, featuring startup pitches, innovation networking, and cultural events."

[sammyk]

Haha ok, I will use AI next time! Thank you!

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by sammyk

Haha ok, I will use AI next time! Thank you!

Ha. Overall, I'm not yet a huge fan of AI. But Google's Gemini and X's Grok provide pretty good search results and summaries of requested info.

[Speculator]

It's been reported on Airliners.net that the west gate expansion opened last week. I haven't seen anything on twitter. Anyone know?

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by Speculator

It's been reported on Airliners.net that the west gate expansion opened last week. I haven't seen anything on twitter. Anyone know?

It's a "soft" opening. No ribbon cutting yet. I expect that to happen before the end of the month.

[texastarkus]

Reported elsewhere on the intra-web
Korean Air and Delta Air Lines executives reportedly met in Austin last month.

Discussions included a potential new route from Austin (AUS) to Seoul (ICN).
It seems like the contenders for a Korean Air flight to Seoul (ICN) are mainly between Austin (AUS) and Portland (PDX)

https://x.com/IshrionA/status/2033531478106353999

This is the source:
https://mbiz.heraldcorp.com/article/10676452

[Speculator]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

It's a "soft" opening. No ribbon cutting yet. I expect that to happen before the end of the month.

Got it. Thanks!

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by texastarkus

Reported elsewhere on the intra-web
Korean Air and Delta Air Lines executives reportedly met in Austin last month.

Discussions included a potential new route from Austin (AUS) to Seoul (ICN).
It seems like the contenders for a Korean Air flight to Seoul (ICN) are mainly between Austin (AUS) and Portland (PDX)

https://x.com/IshrionA/status/2033531478106353999

This is the source:
https://mbiz.heraldcorp.com/article/10676452

The "source" is in Korean...

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

The "source" is in Korean...

your browser will literally translate it all for you

[GoldenBoot]

KE was looking at an AUS-ICN route back in 2022 (right as Samsung made their announcement on the Taylor site). It did not materialize due to "limited immediate demand and timing challenges."

However, since Fab 1 is about to come online; Fab 2 is going through the entitlement process; several Korean supply companies having moved into the area to supplement Samsung since 2022; new, large contracts with Tesla, Apple, AMD, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and others fuel the potential of more Fabs (the site can accommodate 10 Fab facilities); etc... KE and Dl are revisiting this route.

The following is a good read:
https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2026/03/18/korean-air-delta-eye-first-incheon-austin-flight/

There is some confident chatter that this route could start in 2027 or 2028.

Also look for a CDG route fairly soon (within the next 4 years). AUS official are pursuing this route as well.

Paris and Seoul are the #1 and #2 unserved international routes out of ABIA. Interestingly, both airports (CDG and ICN) are SkyTeam hubs. So, DL is heavily involved with both. It's not clear if these routes would be served by DL metal or international metal (AF and KE) - or some sort of combination.

[gillynova]

I was at the airport in early March and the West Gate expansion wasn't open yet. I'll be back next week and check again

[uhhh_idk]

I flew out on Monday and was out of gate 33 in the new west gate expansion. Gates 33, 35, and 37 were open and being used as well as the seating areas around them. Everything else is still walled off as under construction, including bathrooms. I'm not sure where concessions will go (if not upstairs) since it didn't seem like there was a whole lot of room for them in the downstairs area. The seating areas were disappointing tho as they were old-style airport seats without any outlets/plugs for charging.

There were apparently also a lot of problems with the jet bridges out of the new gates, it delayed the planes getting in and deboarding by 30min-1hr

[texastarkus]

https://news.delta.com/desert-escapes-mo...ights-and-expands-bozeman-service-austin

From desert escapes to mountain adventures: Delta adds Phoenix flights and expands Bozeman service from Austin
New routes connect Central Texas travelers with desert landscapes, ski season in Montana and more leisure destinations.

...

--Beginning Nov. 9, 2026, Delta will launch twice-daily nonstop service between Austin and Phoenix (PHX) operated by Delta Connection using an Embraer 175 aircraft.

--Delta will also extend its new Austin–Bozeman (BZN) service into the winter season. The route launches June 13, 2026, with Saturday-only service for summer travel, operated by Delta Connection using an Embraer 175 aircraft, before expanding to daily service from Dec. 19, 2026, through Mar. 28, 2027.

[Mikey711MN]

Planned for 2028 operations with access via buses running from Gate 13...

https://airport-world.com/design-concepts-for-concourse-m-unveiled-by-austin-bergstrom/

[drummer]

So where exactly will this one be? I can't seem to find any information on location.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by drummer

So where exactly will this one be? I can't seem to find any information on location.

Scroll down to the "Speaker's Bureau" section. There is a rough layout.

https://www.flyaustin.com/journey-aus-au...expansion-development-program#ConcourseM

[texastarkus]

Originally Posted by drummer

So where exactly will this one be? I can't seem to find any information on location.

It appears to be located on what's left of the Maintenance Ramp.

[drummer]

Thanks, Goldenboot and Texastarkus.