A319
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Procedure; Human Factors; ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings
Incorrect clearance received prior to pushback; revised clearance issued after takeoff. First Officer was pilot monitoring; Captain was pilot flying. AUS airport suffered heavy rain damage to the electronics basement of their control tower several days earlier. As a result; their normal ATC communications; radar; computers; RVR measurement system were all inoperative. A temporary control tower station was established in a mobile tower cab/trailer parked near RW 17L. It had communications only: no radar; no RVR. Limited visibility for ATC personnel. RW17R closed for that reason. Austin TRACON was taken over by Houston ARTCC.At the gate; received our IFR clearance verbally; since the ACARS delivery system was inop. FO carefully wrote out our ATC clearance; '....cleared to ZZZ via CENTEX 4 departure; College Station transition; FOSIN; as filed. Maintain 3000. FL390 ten minutes later. Departure Control on 125.65.' His handwriting was clear and legible. We discussed the clearance prior to push as per procedure.After one hour taxi delay due to fog; we were cleared for takeoff RW 17L and told to contact Departure. Weather above the fog layer was CAVU. Upon check-in; we were given higher altitudes and two headings; and then we were cleared direct to ILEXY intersection. Our next fix in the FMC was CLL (College Station VOR). We were told to contact 123.72; Houston Center. After overflying ILEXY; we tracked NE toward CLL. After about 10 miles on this course; the Houston controller asked if we had made the turn yet to Navasota VOR (TNV); off to our right. We replied we're going to CLL. He said for us to turn 110 degrees and that we should have been going to TNV. '...nobody goes over College Station;' he said. We complied. There was no TCAS alert during the event.I asked him if there was a traffic hazard by our being on the wrong airway and he said there was an [air carrier] ahead of us; opposite direction; but; no; there was no immediate problem. When we pointed out that we were flying the CLL clearance issued by Austin; he replied that '...they're having issues; we've had problems with Austin.' We asked for a phone number so that we could discuss the event further. We proceeded on to ZZZ without further difficulty.Upon landing; FO and I contacted Houston Center via the phone number provided and spoke to Center Supervisor. He was cordial and said he was expecting our call. [Supervisor] said he was fully familiar with the event that happened earlier and that '... we were totally in the clear.' He said the problem was on the ATC side and that we did nothing wrong. He said the event was closed and would go no further from his desk. He explained further that ATC clearances from the Center were being sent to the Austin temporary tower in alternate ways since the normal equipment was inop. Initially; clearances had been photo'd at the Center and then screenshots had been texted to the AUS trailer. That method had given way to use of fax machines. The tower was expected back to full ops in 2 weeks.We were issued the wrong enroute clearance by AUS temporary Tower. As a result; we flew in an unexpected direction after ILEXY intersection.
A319 Captain reported deviating from assigned track as a result of communication difficulties related to AUS ATCT degraded capabilities.