May passenger traffic sees 746% increase at ABIA versus last year

The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport saw passenger traffic skyrocket to 1.1 million passengers this May versus May 2020, resulting in a 745.9% year-over-year increase.

A July 16 news release from ABIA states Southwest Airlines accounted for the highest number of passengers with more than 360,000—a 624.5% increase compared to last year.

Spirit Airlines had the highest year-over-year increase, jumping by 2,469.1%, or almost 45,000 passengers, in May, according to the release.

The increase in traffic puts ABIA at more than 3.4 million passengers from January through May of this year, a 1.1% increase over the same period in 2020.

The report follows a July 13 ABIA announcement that the airport will close its South Terminal to accommodate a new concourse. The announcement also said summer air travel has started to return to pre-pandemic levels with the number of passengers expected to match or surpass totals from summer 2019.