Officials Submitted the Request Almost a Year Ago Due to Safety Concerns

With multiple recent close calls and chronic air traffic control staffing issues, Austin officials have been urging the FAA to review their almost year-old petition to boost the local airspace designation from a Class C to a Class B. Well, the agency has finally given them an answer… and it’s not the one they had been hoping for.

Representative Lloyd Doggett, who has been calling for the upgrade since 2023, had plenty to say about the decision: “An unresponsive FAA took almost a year to deny an application to make our airport safer — that could have helped in the last near-catastrophic collision between an American Airlines jet and a small Cessna.”

The incident referenced occurred last October, involving a Cessna R182 that flew directly into the approach path of an American Airlines Boeing 737. The move left just 400 feet of vertical separation between the two. Dogget also pointed to incidents like a February 2023 near-collision between a FedEx cargo jet and a Southwest flight that came within 150 feet of disaster, as well as a close call with a private jet and a military F-18. According to Doggett, stricter Class B protections could have prevented some of those risks.

The FAA’s stance is that Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) simply doesn’t meet the criteria for Class B, which is generally reserved for major hubs like Dallas-Fort Worth. Technicality aside, Class B airspace would have introduced tighter pilot requirements, larger protective zones, and a pay bump for controllers. Salaries reportedly would have increased from $124,305 to $141,804, which certainly wouldn’t hurt the retention problem in an overworked tower.

Meanwhile, chronic staffing shortages continue to plague Austin-Bergstrom’s tower. The Austin City Council unanimously passed a resolution in July urging the FAA to not only expand protections, but also create a collegiate training pipeline to guide new controllers. So far, that effort hasn’t gained any traction.

Though Austin remains Class C, the FAA has suggested a possible expansion of the airspace boundary to turn it into a “Super Charlie”. A similar measure was implemented for Nashville International Airport (BNA) in 2023, tying more aircraft into a required communication zone to help prevent lapses like those reported at Austin.

FMI: www.austintexas.gov/airport