Robert Mueller Municipal Airport
Robert Mueller Municipal Airport (closed) | |||||||||||||||||||
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AMSL 632 ft / 193 m | | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 30°18′00″N 097°42′00″W / 30.30000°N 97.70000°W | ||||||||||||||||||
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  AUS Location within Texas  AUS AUS (the United States) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Robert Mueller Municipal Airport (IATA: AUS, ICAO: KAUS, FAA LID: AUS) (1930–1999, /ˈmɪlər/ "Miller") was the first civilian airport built in Austin, Texas, United States. It was located a few miles northeast of downtown Austin. It was replaced as Greater Austin's main airport by the Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, which is located on the site of the former Bergstrom Air Force Base.[2] The airport was named after Robert Mueller, a city commissioner who died in office in January 1927.[5][6] Robert Mueller Municipal Airport was identified with the airport code AUS, which was reassigned to Austin–Bergstrom International Airport in 1999.
History
As the need for commercial air service became clear in the 1920s, the 1928 Austin city plan called for the establishment of a municipal airport. Austin voters supported a bond election to fund the airport (among other projects) later in 1928. The airport was constructed a few miles northeast of downtown, on what was then the edge of the city. The airport began operation on 14 October 1930; airline flights began in 1936.[1]
In the 1950s, developers began building housing beneath Mueller’s flight paths and airport traffic increased as the city grew.
The April 1957, OAG lists 33 weekday departures on three airlines: fifteen on
In 1963, Continental was flying Vickers Viscount turboprops Houston Hobby Airport – Austin – San Angelo – Midland/Odessa – El Paso – Tucson – Phoenix – Los Angeles and direct to Lubbock and Amarillo.[7] By 1964, Continental had dropped Austin, the airline returned by 1970.[8]
The jet age arrived in Austin in 1965 when Braniff introduced
By 1968, Trans-Texas Airways was operating
In early 1976, the same three airlines were at AUS (Trans-Texas Airways had changed its name to
On February 13, 1978
Expansions
A new passenger terminal and control tower was built in 1961. The control tower was known for its alternating light blue and dark blue porcelain panels. The terminal and control tower were dedicated in a ceremony attended by Vice President
For a number of years, the Texas Army National Guard had facilities at the airport.
Closure and replacement
Whether the aging Mueller should be relocated to Manor, Texas, was a perennial issue in Austin politics, until the closure of Bergstrom Air Force Base opened another possibility.[19]
Bergstrom, located southeast of downtown Austin, closed as an active military base in 1993. It was decommissioned as a reserve base in 1996.[20] The primary runway, designed for military cargo and high-performance jets, was left intact and required little work to return to serviceable condition. Smaller military-era buildings at the site were demolished, and a new terminal building and traffic/parking infrastructure was built in their place, creating an international-capable civilian airport to replace Mueller Airport.[20]
Robert Mueller Municipal Airport's commercial service ended on 21 May 1999, replaced by the new
Redevelopment as Mueller community
The 711 acres (3 km2)[22] of land that once housed the airport sat vacant and unused for more than half a decade until the city approved a development plan. The new community of Mueller broke ground in 2007 and was expected to take at least ten years to be fully developed.
The airport's
Robert Mueller Municipal Airport also left behind about 20 acres and 10,000 square feet of hangar buildings that have been converted into sound stages and renamed Austin Studios. It is the home to several Austin-based film and production companies such as Austin Film Society, Rooster Teeth, and Robert Rodriguez's production company, Troublemaker Studios.
Annual traffic
| Year | Passengers | Year | Passengers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1,965,186 | 1990 | 4,281,720 | |
| 1982 | 2,217,568 | 1991 | 4,108,620 | |
| 1983 | 2,510,540 | 1992 | 4,270,136 | |
| 1984 | 3,310,668 | 1993 | 4,525,940 | |
| 1985 | 3,704,320 | 1994 | 5,100,022 | |
| 1986 | 3,639,910 | 1995 | 5,336,894 | |
| 1987 | 3,831,540 | 1996 | 5,706,450 | |
| 1988 | 3,880,450 | 1997 | 5,915,106 | |
| 1989 | 4,200,390 | 1998 | 6,075,132 |
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-292-77435-3.
- ^ a b c "Service Begins at New Austin Airport". Los Angeles Times. May 24, 1999. p. 2.
- ^ "New airport prepares to take off More flights? Maybe. More traffic? Probably". The Daily Texan. February 3, 1999.
- ^ "NTSB Special Investigation Report: Runway Incursions at Controlled Airports in the United States" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. May 6, 1986. p. 64. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7385-9613-6.
- ^ "Why was Austin's first municipal airport named Mueller". Austin Public Library. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
- ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, July 1, 1963 Continental Airlines timetable
- ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, July 29, 1964 & Feb. 1, 1970 Continental Airlines timetables
- ^ http://www.60sairlineantiques.net, Sept. 7, 1965 Braniff timetable
- ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, August 1968 Trans-Texas Airways timetable
- ^ North American Edition, Feb. 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide
- ^ a b http://www.departedflights.com, Nov. 15, 1979 Official Airline Guide
- ^ http://www.southwest.com, Press Room, Our History
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1978 Southwest Airlines route map
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com, April 26, 1981 American Airlines timetable
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1983 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Austin flight schedules
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com , Official Airline Guide (OAG) editions: 7/1/83, 2/15/85, 12/15/89
- ^ "Mueller Airport". Austin Explorer. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
- ^ "Airport site stirs controversy". The Daily Texan. January 15, 1985.
- ^ a b "For Austin, Texas, Old Air Force Base Becomes City Airport". The Wall Street Journal. May 24, 1999.
- ^ "Austin aviation gets new home at converted air base". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Associated Press. May 24, 1999.
- ^ Lyman, Rick (April 11, 1999). "Austin, in the Big Time, Gets an Airport to Match". The New York Times. p. 3.
- ^ Harrell, Barry (July 29, 2010). "Austin's 1960s Mueller airport control tower getting retro restoration". The Austin American Statesman. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ "Downtown Development and Capitol View Corridors" (PDF). Downtown Austin Commission. June 27, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ "Austin Airport Annual Traffic Report". Retrieved 24 February 2019.
External links
Media related to Robert Mueller Municipal Airport at Wikimedia Commons- Mueller Master Developer Site
- Airport diagram for April 1986
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