A Historical Overview Of Austin Airport's Evolution

The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, opened in May 1999. The airport stands on the site of the former Bergstrom Air Force Base, which was decommissioned in the early 1990s. The base was renamed from Del Valle Airfield in 1943 after Captain John August Earl Bergstrom, the first Austin native to be killed in action during World War II. The airport's Barbara Jordan Terminal is named after Barbara Jordan, the first African American elected to the Texas Senate in 1966.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport opened in 1999

The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) opened in May 1999, replacing the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport as Austin's main airport. The airport is located on the site of the former Bergstrom Air Force Base, which was decommissioned in the early 1990s and ceased all military aviation in 1995. The base was named after Captain John August Earl Bergstrom, the first native Austinite to be killed in action during World War II.

The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is owned and operated by the City of Austin and is one of the fastest-growing airports in the United States. It has two runways and a total of 37 gates, including the main Barbara Jordan Terminal and the South Terminal. The airport is not supported by the city's general fund, but instead by the revenue generated by the businesses and people using the airport. Any revenue generated goes back into the airport's operations.

The airport has a rich history that dates back to the 1940s when it was a military base. During World War II, the airbase served as a training facility for crews of invasion gliders and twin-engine Douglas C-47 tow planes that participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy. After the war, the base provided support for the Berlin Airlift. The base also played a significant role in aviation history, hosting notable events such as the 1955 Atlantic crossing of Austin-based fighter jet crews who pioneered aerial refuelling techniques.

The design of the airport terminal building is inspired by its local cultural landscape, featuring Texas Pearl pink granite, public art, local restaurants, and a central music stage. The terminal is named after Barbara Jordan, a prominent African American political figure in Texas who served in the Texas Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. The airport has continued to expand and develop over the years, with new terminals, taxiways, and parking structures being added to accommodate the growing demand and passenger traffic.

The airport was built on the site of the former Bergstrom Air Force Base

The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which opened in 1999, was built on the site of the former Bergstrom Air Force Base. The base was located seven to eight miles southeast of downtown Austin, Texas.

Bergstrom Air Force Base was activated during World War II as a troop carrier training airfield and was a front-line Strategic Air Command (SAC) base during the Cold War. In its later years, it was transferred to the Tactical Air Command (TAC) and became a major base for the U.S. Air Force's RF-4C reconnaissance fighter fleet.

The history of the Bergstrom Air Force Base began in 1941, when U.S. Army officers chose a 3,000-acre site in Del Valle, Austin, for the construction of an air base. The city of Austin bought the site and loaned it to the U.S. government with the agreement that the property would revert to Austin when the government no longer needed it. The base was activated on September 19, 1942, as Del Valle Army Air Base.

On March 3, 1943, the base was renamed Bergstrom Army Airfield in honour of Captain John August Earl Bergstrom, a reservist serving as an administrative officer in the 19th Bombardment Group who was killed during a Japanese bombing attack on Clark Field in the Philippines on December 8, 1941. Bergstrom was the first native Austinite to be killed in World War II.

The base became Bergstrom Field on November 11, 1943, and Bergstrom Air Force Base in 1948 when the Air Force became a separate military branch. During World War II and for several years after, the base was used primarily as a troop carrier base. Some of its units participated in the Berlin Airlift from 1948 to 1949.

In 1958, the base returned to SAC control and became home to the 4130th Strategic Wing, flying B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling aircraft. In 1966, the base was transferred back to TAC and became home to the Twelfth Air Force and the 75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing.

In the 1970s, noise complaints and safety concerns arose as new housing was built near the end of the runways. The city of Austin approached the USAF in 1978 to propose a shared civil-military airport at Bergstrom, but the proposal was rejected.

In 1990, Bergstrom was placed on a list of 75 military facilities under study for closure by the post-Cold War Base Realignment and Closure Committee. The base was officially closed on September 30, 1993, and the land was returned to the city of Austin. The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was built on the site of the former base, with the original 12,250-foot runway still in use today.

The base was named after Captain John August Earl Bergstrom

The Austin airport, officially known as Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, has a rich history that dates back several decades. But one aspect that is often overlooked is the origin of its name. The airport is named after Captain John August Earl Bergstrom, a native of Austin, Texas, whose story is intertwined with the history of the city and the airport itself.

Captain John Bergstrom was a distinguished military officer and a veteran of World War I. He joined the United States Army Air Service, the predecessor of the US Air Force, in 1917 and served with distinction during the war. Bergstrom was a skilled pilot and was known for his bravery and leadership skills. After the war, he returned to his hometown of Austin and continued his military career.

Bergstrom played a crucial role in the establishment and development of what would become Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. In 1942, the Del Valle Airfield was constructed by the United States Army Air Forces as a training base for pilots and aircrew. This airfield was located on land that was once part of a ranch owned by the Bergstrom family, just southeast of Austin. Captain John Bergstrom, who had strong ties to the community, worked closely with military officials and local leaders to facilitate the acquisition of the land for the airfield.

Given his contributions and connections to the area, it is only fitting that the base, and subsequently the airport, bear his name. In 1943, the Del Valle Airfield was officially renamed Bergstrom Field in honor of Captain John August Earl Bergstrom. This renaming served as a tribute to his military service, his role in establishing the airfield, and his significance to the local community. The name change also helped to solidify the airfield's importance as a military facility during World War II.

The first Austin municipal airport was Robert Mueller Municipal Airport

In the late 1920s, the Austin City Council requested that the Army Corps at Kelly Field in San Antonio send a pilot over Austin to identify a suitable site for a municipal airport. Claire Chennault, who later became famous with the World War II “Flying Tigers,” recommended Matthews Farm, a tract of land four miles northeast of downtown Austin. The airport was officially dedicated on October 14, 1930, with airline flights beginning in 1936.

In the 1950s, developers began building housing beneath Mueller's flight paths, and airport traffic increased as the city grew. In April 1957, OAG listed 33 weekday departures on three airlines: fifteen on Braniff International Airways, ten on Trans-Texas Airways, and eight on Continental Airlines. Nonstop flights initially did not go beyond Texas, with destinations including San Antonio, San Angelo, Dallas Love Field, and Houston Hobby Airport.

The airport underwent a major expansion in the 1970s, with improvements to the runways and the terminal. By the late 1990s, the passenger terminal was at full capacity with 16 gates, and the airport was serving millions of passengers annually. However, the landlocked location of the airport, surrounded by urban growth, limited its ability to expand further.

In 1999, Robert Mueller Municipal Airport was replaced by the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as Greater Austin's main airport. The last commercial service from Robert Mueller Municipal Airport took place on May 21, 1999, with general aviation activities continuing until June 22, 1999. The new Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was built on the site of the former Bergstrom Air Force Base, which had closed in the early 1990s.

The land that once housed Robert Mueller Municipal Airport was redeveloped into a mixed-use community called Mueller, which broke ground in 2007. The airport's control tower, offering a view of the Texas State Capitol, was preserved and restored due to its iconic status. Additionally, about 20 acres and 10,000 square feet of hangar buildings were converted into sound stages and renamed Austin Studios, becoming home to several Austin-based film and production companies.

It was replaced by Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in 1999

The current Austin airport, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, opened in May 1999, replacing Robert Mueller Municipal Airport as Austin's main airport. The new airport is located on the site of the former Bergstrom Air Force Base, which was decommissioned in the early 1990s, with all military aviation ceasing in 1995. The base was named after Captain John August Earl Bergstrom, the first native Austinite to be killed in action during World War II.

The decision to replace Robert Mueller Municipal Airport was driven by the airport's limited capacity for expansion. As Austin's population grew, so did the demand for air travel. However, Mueller Airport was landlocked, surrounded by neighbourhoods, and had reached its full capacity by the late 1990s. The airport's main terminal, dedicated in 1961 and expanded in 1983, had 16 gates and was unable to accommodate further growth.

The new Austin-Bergstrom International Airport offered a larger site for the city's airport, with 4,100 acres of land for public use. The airport features two runways, including a 12,250-foot runway dedicated to former President Lyndon B. Johnson, and 34 gates in the main Barbara Jordan Terminal, named after Barbara Jordan, the first African American person elected to the Texas Senate in 1966. The airport is owned and operated by the City of Austin and is one of the fastest-growing airports in the United States, providing over 74,000 direct and indirect jobs in Central Texas.

The replacement of Robert Mueller Municipal Airport with Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was a significant development in Austin's history, transforming a former military base into a thriving civilian airport. The new airport not only improved Austin's air travel capabilities but also averted a potential economic blow and the challenge of maintaining an abandoned military facility. As noted by Mayor Kirk Watson at the time, "Austin turned lemons into lemonade."

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