Service Begins at New Austin Airport

Commercial jets began flying this weekend from the $585-million Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the first new major airport in the U.S. since Denver International opened four years ago.

The airport is part of Austin’s plan to support its burgeoning high-technology industry and attract businesses to the region. The city is home to 1,200 high-tech companies; the headquarters of Dell Computer Corp., the biggest direct seller of personal computers, is in nearby Round Rock.

“Everyone who has watched Austin take off during the past few years knows this airport is key to our continued economic success,” Mayor Kirk Watson said. High-tech employment in Austin has tripled in the last decade.

The airport, which was converted from a former U.S. Air Force base, features a 12,250-foot runway and a 600,000-square-foot passenger terminal with 25 gates. The Barbara Jordan terminal--named for the late congresswoman from Texas--is designed to be expanded to 55 gates.

Austin’s older Robert Mueller Municipal Airport closed Friday.