Airport Experience® News - Customer Service Issue 2025

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

CENTRAL TEXAS JUGGERNAUT Badawi Preps AUS For Long-Term Growth

BY CAROL WARD

ditor’s Note: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) was one of the fastest growing airports in North America coming out of the pandemic. While that acceleration has tempered in subsequent years, traffic is well ahead of pre-pandemic numbers and far exceeds the capacity limits of its current terminals. The Journey With AUS expansion program, which will cost an estimated $4 billion, will prepare the airport to serve 30 million travelers annually. Ghizlane Badawi is leading AUS on this expansion and improvement journey. An airport employee since 2008, Badawi was named CEO in April 2024 after serving as interim CEO from January of the same year. AXN’s Carol Ward spoke with Badawi in early September for an update on the “once in a generation” project. E

WARD: I know you have a long tenure at AUS and have been CEO for about 20 months. Can you share your vision for the airport, especially as you navigate rising traveler numbers and a massive capital project? BADAWI: My vision is to scale AUS into a world class airport that meets the needs for our growing region for years to come, and that includes delivering our bold, multi-billion-dollar expansion program, strengthening operational resilience and creating the passenger experience that reflects the unique identity and the spirit of our central Texas region. We’re making a phased and strategic infrastructure investment to stay ahead of demand. One of the challenges that we have today is our facilities are undersized, and we want to make sure that with this investment, we stay ahead of demand and ensure future readiness. This is a once-in-a-generation investment that will shape how central Texas will connect to the world.

WARD: Notwithstanding the downturn due to the pandemic, AUS has grown fairly rapidly over the past decade. Can you give an update on your recent growth and what you’re anticipating for the near-term future? BADAWI: The growth for the past decade has been steady, and the growth after the pandemic has been nothing short of extraordinary. We went from serving 17.3 million passengers in 2019 to a record breaking 22 million passengers in 2023 and 21.8 million passengers in 2024. Based on our master plan that we completed in 2019, we were not projected to serve 22 million passengers until 2027. This year we’ve seen a 4% decline in passenger activity, which is aligned with broader industry trends and some softening in consumer confidence. We’re expecting to close the year with approximately 21 million passengers, which is still above the pre-pandemic levels. Looking at 2026 we’re projecting a modest but steady growth, given our new routes and the continued airline interest in our market.

Above: Ghizlane Badawi, CEO, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

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AX NEWS OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2025