Summary

• Robert Mueller Municipal Airport was closed in 1999 due to the need for a larger airport.
• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport replaced RMAA with the same IATA code, AUS.
• RMAA has been transformed into a mixed-use development with apartments, commercial properties and several parks.

In 1981, Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, IATA code AUS, served more than one million people. The airport operated for the next seventeen years and in the year of its closure it had more than six million passengers. Despite these impressive numbers, the airport is no longer in operation. What happened to it? In this article, we will take a closer look at this question.

The airport, named after a city commissioner

In the 1920s, many cities recognized the need for air travel. This was true in Texas too. The Austin City Plan of 1928 laid out plans for the construction of residential areas, large industries, major roads, etc. The plan also called for the construction of an airport in southeast Austin.

The airport was to be named Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, after Robert Mueller, an Austin city councilman who died in 1927. Airport operations began in 1930, and commercial airlines began flying to and from the airport in 1936.

Plans for renovation

In 1957, OAG reported 33 weekday departures from AUS. In 1968, this municipal airport operated its first flight outside of Austin. Braniff International Airways operated this flight to Washington Dulles Airport with its Boeing 727.

The airport terminal was designed by architects Fehr & Granger. The terminal included a central outdoor courtyard, a waiting lounge and a concourse. A control tower also rose from the building. The jury of the 1959 P/A Awards selected the AUS airport design as “runner-up to the first design award”. It was praised as “an excellent solution in planning and design expression”.

By 1980, every major airline in the US offered flights to and from AUS. The following table gives us an overview of the processes:

With increasing passenger volume and many airlines flying to and from AUS, Texas needed a more spacious airport that could handle tens of millions of passengers. It soon became clear that AUS would not be able to do this. Towards the end of the millennium, Robert Mueller Municipal Airport (AUS) was closed. The last commercial flight took place on May 21, 1999, while general aviation continued until a month later.

Transition to the new AUS airport

After the unveiling of a new airport designed for the 21st century, Robert Mueller Municipal Airport was closed. Two days after the last flight at Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport opened. The IATA code AUS was also transferred to the new airport.

The history of the new airport, which will replace Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, dates back to World War II, Steven Walker reported for Simple Flying.

“In 1942, the U.S. government purchased another piece of land for the construction of a military installation known as Del Valle Army Air Base. In March 1943, it was renamed Bergstrom Army Airfield (and later Bergstrom Air Force Base) after Captain John August Earl Bergstrom, who was an administrative officer with the 19th Bomber Group at Clark Field in the Philippines when he was killed at age 34. He was the first Austin resident killed in World War II.”

There have been some exciting changes at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport recently, including the following:

• In 2014, the airport launched its first transatlantic service with direct flights to Heathrow Airport (LHR).
• The Barbara Jordan Terminal – the airport’s main terminal – was first expanded in 2015 and then again in 2019.
• The South Terminal – a small second terminal – was built in 2017.

The airport is working on its “Master Plan 2040”, which aims to increase its passenger capacity to 31 million.

But what happened to Robert Mueller Municipal Airport?

Many airports, such as Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, have been repurposed. Kai Tak Airport, which used to be Hong Kong’s main airport, is set to be converted into a residential area with 80,000 buildings. Something similar (but not on such a large scale) is the conversion of Austin’s original air hub, reports Alexander Mitchell, a journalist from Simple Flying:

“Today, the former airfield has been converted into a 700-acre mixed-use development with residential homes, commercial properties and several parks. Very little of the original airport remains today. However, the facility’s historic Browning Hangar, built in 1943, has been converted into a multi-purpose space and hosts a weekly farmers’ market.”

The vision for the housing project began in 1994 with the Citizens for Airport Relocation (CARE) plan. The CARE plan emphasized the need for a “new city within the city.” Two years later, a 16-member working group was established to oversee the redevelopment process and goals. The working group called for a mixed-use housing development at the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport.

Here are some events from the transformation of the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport into a “public-private partnership between the City of Austin and Catellus Development Corporation” to redevelop Austin’s former air hub – the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport (RMMA):

• In 2000, the City of Austin approved the reuse and redevelopment of RMMA. Catellus was selected as the lead developer in 2002.
• The first family moved into a house in the former RMAA in 2017.
• Texas Mutual Insurance Company moved into the former RMAA facility, providing employment opportunities for more than 600 people.