The gist
By this fall, four new CBP officers will join the airport’s 15 officers, increasing the total number of officers by 25%.
At ABIA, these officers supervise commercial passengers and cargo, general aviation passengers and five foreign-trade zones.
How it happened
In May, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett sent a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, urging for more CBP officers amid increased passenger volumes and an ongoing airport expansion program.
Arrivals to ABIA more than doubled between 2019 and 2023, and air traffic as a whole has doubled in the last five years. In 2022, ABIA was categorized as a large-hub airport by the Federal Aviation Administration, Doggett said.
The growth isn’t slowing down, as 2023 was the airport’s busiest on record, beating 2022 as the busiest year by over a million more passengers. In 2024 so far, four days made the list of top 10 busiest days at ABIA.
Quote of note
“To be a true international city, Austin must have an adequate airport with direct international connections,” U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett said. “For years, a shortage of CBP officers has been an obstacle to securing new international flights, and a source of major inconvenience to incoming international passengers and local businesses awaiting incoming cargo.”
