Airplane Fuel Facility Video Overview

Take a video tour of the original AUS fuel facility to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the site safely and efficiently stores fuel for commercial and cargo flights. 

October 2023

Installation of the dike area liner was completed, as were the dike walls and dike are foundations. Work continued on the facility entrance, along with the settining of new traffic signal poles. 

                                                                    Site progress - North view

 

September 2023

Work continues on the dike wall construction and dike area foundations. Installation of the all the dike wall crossover stairs/platforms began, and the installation of the of the dike area liner is underway.

                                                                            Site progress - North view

 

August 2023

Work continues on the dike wall construction. Installation of the new Airport Operation Area (AOA) perimeter security fence is underway. Entrance work for Highway 183 has begun.

 

                                                             Installation of AOA Secuity Fence

 

July 2023

Work continues on the installation of the containment drain system, dike wall construction and dike area foundations. Crews also installed electrical equipment in the fire foam building.               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                        Site progress - North view

June 2023

Work continues with installation of fueling equipment on the pump pad. External coatings and decals for Tanks 101 and 102 were completed.                                                                             Installation of fueling equipment

 

                                   

May 2023

Work continued on forming and pouring the concrete dike walls. Piping and equipment were installed on the pump pad foundation.Concrete Dike Pour

                                                                       Concrete pour for dike walls

Piping and Equipment Installation

                                                           Piping and equipment installation

April 2023

Work continued on the stormwater system installation, ductbanks and fire foam pump house.

Foam pump house under construction  at the fuel facility

                                                                            Fire foam pump house 

fuel tank under construcrtion

                                                                    Concrete pour of dike walls

March 2023

Construction of the concrete containment walls around the tanks continued as well as for various other foundations.

High view of dirt in area being cleared to place the fuel tanks containment system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           Tank containment walls under construction

Wood frame in place around future pump pad area to prep for concrete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                Work for Pump pad before filling in concrete.

 

February 2023

Steel installation for both tanks continues as well as construction of the concrete containment walls around the tanks. Wetland restoration also began. 

Two white fuel tanks with steel walls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                           Tank steel wall installation

Construction site with wood frames being built for concrete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          Preparing to pour concrete for the tank containment walls

 

January 2023

The foundation for the fire foam building was completed. The installation of the stormwater system continues. 

Completed building foundation in construction area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                        Fire Foam Building and generator pads

Trench with wastewater pipe laying in it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                               Installation of stormwater line in progress


Current Airplane Fuel Facility - Background & History 

The airport’s main airplane fuel facility storage was constructed in 1998 and is located next to the Barbara Jordan Terminal. The current facility consists of two fuel tanks, one holds 481,000 and the other 691,700 gallons. This facility was created to be the safest and most efficient way to store and supply airplane fuel. It is continuously monitored and undergoes regular inspections by the Austin Fire Department, the Department of Aviation and the airlines. The facility is owned by the airlines that serve AUS and is operated by an independent aviation fueling services provider. The new facility will also be owned and operated by the airlines and their fueling services provider, with the same 24/7 monitoring and regular safety inspections. 

For more information about the new facility, read the project fact sheet.


The Need For A New Facility  

Since the airport first opened, the number of annual passengers has tripled and the current facility no longer meets the needs of Austin’s growing community. The facility currently has a 2–3-day fuel supply, which doesn't meet the 5-7 day industry standard and cannot support future air service growth for 2022 and beyond. AUS forecasts an increase in fuel demand by an average of 3% to 5% annually over the next ten years. 

The new facility will provide a more reliable, safe supply of fuel for the airlines and reliable air service for our community. It was identified as a development project through the airport’s 2040 Master Plan process.  


 

The AUS 2040 Master Plan 

In 2017, the Department of Aviation began creating the 2040 Master Plan, which guides the airport’s growth as it doubles in size and serves as a roadmap to the future modernization of AUS. The need for a new fuel facility and the location of the new fuel facility were identified through this process and are in the final 2040 Master Plan document, which was approved by the Austin City Council and the Federal Aviation Administration.  

Before an airplane fuel facility is constructed, an environmental review is done to evaluate the potential environmental impact of the facility. All information from the review is presented to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the administration that determines if it is safe to create a facility in the first place. If no significant impacts to air quality, socioeconomics or environmental justice, water resources, or other surroundings are expected to occur, then it’s safe to build a fuel facility. In preparation for the new fuel facility, AUS, the airlines and a team of consultants conducted an environmental review and submitted their review to the FAA. The review was granted approval by the FAA on April 8, 2020.


AUS 2040 Master Plan Public Workshops

From 2017 - 2018, the Department of Aviation hosted a series of Master Plan Public Workshops, Project Advisory Committee and Technical Advisory Committee meetings. You can review the archived meeting materials at this webpage:

  • October 12, 2017 - Public Workshop #1
  • April 19, 2018 - Public Workshop #2
  • June 7, 2018 - Public Workshop #3
  • September 6, 2018 - Public Workshop #4
Information, including project locations, for all 61 Master Plan projects were presented to the community throughout these meetings.

District 2 Fall 2021 Community Meetings

In fall 2021, the Department of Aviation and a representative from the engineering firm who is designing the new facility shared a presentation and answered community members' questions. You can view the presentation at this link.

  • October 4 - Virtual Meeting
  • November 10 - In-Person Meeting

January 29, 2022 Community Information Meetings

On Saturday, January 29, the City of Austin Department of Aviation hosted three community information meetings to inform community members and connect them to educational resources about the site selection, operations, safety, and security features of a proposed jet fuel storage facility. The meetings were in response to City of Austin Council Resolution NO. 20211209-061 and were intended to address the digital divide and language access barriers experienced by community members. One virtual meeting and two limited attendance in-person meetings were held. Both meetings provided simultaneous Spanish interpretation by professional interpreters.

View the February 7, 2022 memo from the Department of Aviation to Mayor and City Council to learn more about how these meetings were attended and publicized.


March 7, 2022 Listening Session

On March 7, 2022 Department of Aviation leadership attended a listening session led by community members to hear personal testimony for airport-adjacent neighbors and community members who were affected by the historic injustice of the East Austin petroleum storage tanks.

 


April 5, 2022 Austin City Council Work Session - Jet Fuel Storage Facility

AUS leadership briefed Austin City Council on the Fuel Facility Project at the City Council Work Session on April 5, 2022. The Work Session was recorded by ATXN which can be watched online at: https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/158053