Allegiant to conclude crew base operations in Austin, as reported by The Points Guy.

Budget airline Allegiant Air is withdrawing from a Texas airport that has experienced rapid expansion over the past ten years.

The ultralow-cost airline from Las Vegas will cease its aircraft and crew base operations at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) starting January 7, 2025, a spokesperson confirmed on Monday.

Allegiant will continue to operate flights to the airport, which it states will stay as an important part of its network. Nevertheless, the airline will stop stationing crew and aircraft in Austin, due to “circumstances beyond our control.”

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Closure of South Terminal scheduled

According to Allegiant, the problem stems from limited gate availability due to ongoing renovation plans in Austin, reports TPG.

Allegiant operates out of the South Terminal in Austin, a smaller satellite concourse located a short drive away from the main terminal of the airport.

Given Austin’s rapid expansion in recent years, the airport intends to eventually shut down the South Terminal to facilitate the development of a midfield concourse and new taxiways on the airfield. This is scheduled to take place by 2026 at the latest.

Due to the closure of the smaller terminal that opened in 2017, Allegiant will need to move to the airport’s main terminal. The airline intends to proceed with this relocation and continue operating flights from the airport.

However, the airline informed TPG on Monday that there is a caveat to that decision.

“Regrettably, the available gate space we were offered is insufficient for maintaining our base at AUS,” an Allegiant representative stated.

Since 2021, Austin has served as a base for Allegiant. That year, the airline revealed its intention to invest $75 million in the location, aiming to hire a minimum of 89 employees and station three Airbus A320 aircraft there.

It is currently uncertain which Allegiant routes, if any, will be impacted when the airline discontinues its base operation in Austin starting January 2025.

In accordance with the below map from aviation analytics firm Cirium, this month, the carrier’s Austin route network features 18 nonstop destinations across the nation.

Officials at Austin airport take action

In a statement on Monday, Austin’s Department of Aviation recognized Allegiant’s decision and emphasized that the airline’s choice to close its base in the city does not signify its departure from the market.

“We are dedicated to backing their direct flights from AUS and recognize the significant benefit they offer to travelers in Central Texas,” an airport representative informed TPG.

The city announced that a specific date has not been determined for the permanent closure of the South Terminal facility.

Despite significant expansion in recent years, Austin has encountered some challenges recently. Virgin Atlantic declared last autumn that it would discontinue its nonstop Austin to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) route, attributing this decision to difficulties in the tech sector.

American Airlines reduced its flights from the airport, but Delta Air Lines has mostly stepped in to cover the gap.

According to figures released by the airport this month, passenger traffic between January and April saw a slight decrease of approximately 0.25% compared to the same period last year.

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