The airport, originally named Houston Intercontinental Airport, was later renamed after
George H. W. Bush, the 41st
president of the United States and a resident of Houston, in 1997.[5] IAH covers 10,000 acres (40 square kilometres) of land and has five runways.[3][6] Houston Intercontinental is one of the largest passenger
hubs for
United Airlines.[7] The airport is sometimes called George Bush International Airport or Houston International Airport.[8]
History
A group of Houston businessmen purchased the site for Bush Intercontinental Airport in 1957 to preserve it until the city of Houston could formulate a plan for a new airport as a replacement for
William P. Hobby Airport (at the time known as Houston International Airport). The holding company for the land was named the Jet Era Ranch Corporation, but a typographical error transformed the words "Jet Era" into "Jetero" and the airport site subsequently became known as the Jetero airport site. Although the name Jetero was no longer used in official planning documents after 1961, the airport's eastern entrance was named Jetero Boulevard. Most of Jetero Boulevard was later renamed
Will Clayton Parkway.
The City of Houston
annexed the Intercontinental Airport area in 1965. This annexation, along with the 1965 annexations of the Bayport area, the Fondren Road area, and an area west of
Sharpstown, resulted in a gain of 51,251 acres (20,741 ha) of land for the city limits.[9]
Houston Intercontinental Airport, which was the original name for the airport, opened in June 1969.[5] The airport's IATA code of IAH derived from the stylization of the airport's name as "Intercontinental Airport of Houston."[10][11] All scheduled passenger airline service formerly operated from
William P. Hobby Airport moved to Intercontinental upon the airport's completion. Hobby remained open as a
general aviation airport and was once again used for scheduled passenger airline jet service two years later when
Southwest Airlines initiated
intrastate airline service nonstop between Hobby and
Dallas Love Field in 1971.[12]
In the late 1980s,
Houston City Council considered a plan to rename the airport after
Mickey Leland—an African-American
U.S. Congressman who died in an
aviation accident in
Ethiopia. Instead of renaming the whole airport, the city named Mickey Leland International Arrivals Building, which would later become Mickey Leland Terminal D, after the congressman. In April 1997, Houston City Council unanimously voted to rename the airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport/Houston, after
George H. W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States.[5][13] The name change took effect on May 2, 1997.[14]
On August 28, 1990, Continental Airlines agreed to build its maintenance center at George Bush Intercontinental Airport; Continental agreed to do so because the city of Houston agreed to provide city-owned land near the airport.[15]
As of 2007,
Terminals A and B remain from the airport's original design.
Lewis W. Cutrer Terminal C opened in 1981, the Mickey Leland International Arrivals Building (now called Terminal D) opened in May 1990, and the new Terminal E partially opened on June 3, 2003. The rest of Terminal E opened on January 7, 2004. Terminal D is the arrival point for all international flights except for United flights, which use Terminal E. Flights from Canada on Air Canada and WestJet arrive in terminal A. Terminal D also held customs and
INS until the opening of the new Federal Inspection Service (FIS) building, completed on January 25, 2005.[16]
Historical airline service: opening of Intercontinental in 1969 to the early 1980s
At the time of the opening of IAH in 1969, domestic scheduled passenger airline flights were being operated by
American Airlines, Braniff International Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eastern Air Lines, National Airlines and Houston-based
Texas International Airlines, which had formerly operated as Trans-Texas Airways.[17] International flights at this time were being flown by Pan American World Airways with ten nonstop flights a week operated with
Boeing 707 jetliners to Mexico City;
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines operating
Douglas DC-8 jets four days a week to Amsterdam via an intermediate stop in Montreal; Braniff International with
Boeing 727 services several times a week to
Panama City, Panama; and Aeronaves de Mexico (now
Aeroméxico) flying
Douglas DC-9 jets to
Monterrey,
Guadalajara,
Puerto Vallarta,
Acapulco and Mexico City several days a week.[18][19][20][21] Texas International was also operating direct services to Mexico at this time with
Douglas DC-9 jets to
Monterrey and
Convair 600 turboprop flights to
Tampico and
Veracruz.[22] KLM introduced
Boeing 747 services in 1971 and by 1974
Air France was operating four nonstop Boeing 747 flights a week to both Paris and Mexico City.[23][24] Also in 1974, Continental, Pan Am, and National were operating
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 wide body jetliners into IAH while Delta was flying
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar wide body jets with both types being operated on respective domestic routes from the airport by these airlines; with National also operating Boeing 747s on a Miami–Houston–Los Angeles routing.[25]
By July 1983, the number of domestic and international air carriers serving Intercontinental had grown substantially. American, Continental, Delta and Eastern had been joined by
Piedmont Airlines, Southwest Airlines,
TWA, United Airlines,
USAir and
Western Airlines.[29] Western was operating daily
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 wide body jet services nonstop to
Salt Lake City at this time, with this flight also offering one-stop services to
Anchorage, Alaska.[30] International services were being operated by
Air Canada,
Aviateca,
British Caledonian Airways, Continental Airlines, Eastern Air Lines,
SAHSA,
South African Airways, TACA, TWA and
Viasa in addition to Pan Am, KLM, Air France, Aeroméxico and Cayman Airways.[31] Several commuter and regional airlines were also operating passenger services at this time from IAH including
Emerald Air (operating as
Pan Am Express), Metro Airlines,
Rio Airways and
Royale Airlines.[29] Metro Airlines was operating "cross-town" shuttle services with
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprops with up to seventeen round trip flights a day between IAH and the
Clear Lake CitySTOLport located near the
NASA Johnson Space Center and also up to nine round trip flights a day between the airport and
Sugar Land Regional Airport as well as other flights to regional destinations in Texas and Louisiana.[29] In addition, at this same time the airport had scheduled helicopter airline services operated by Executive Helicopters with
Bell 206L LongRanger helicopters to four Houston-area
heliports with up to 36 round trip flights a day.[29]
Recent airline and airport developments: 2000 to the present day
As Houston was not an approved gateway for USA–
London Heathrow flights under the
Bermuda II Agreement,
Continental Airlines and
British Airways flew their London services to
Gatwick Airport. British Airways, keen to allow its passengers access to connections at its larger
Heathrow Airport hub, subsequently flew various routings from Houston to Heathrow, via a gateway approved technical stop, allowing its Houston originating flights to land at Heathrow. While keeping a daily Houston–Gatwick flight, British Airways operated a flight from Houston to Heathrow via
Washington-Dulles, with the technical stop being later changed to
Chicago-O'Hare and finally to
Detroit. In March 2008, the Bermuda II agreement was replaced with the EU–US
Open Skies Agreement, allowing Continental Airlines and British Airways to switch its London services from Houston to Heathrow Airport that summer.[32] Currently, BA operates double-daily flights to London's Heathrow Airport with
Boeing 777 and
Boeing 787 service.[33]
On January 7, 2009, a Continental Airlines
Boeing 737-800 departing Bush Intercontinental was the first U.S. commercial jet to fly on a mix of conventional
jet fuel and
biofuel.[34][35]
In December 2009, the Houston City Council approved a plan to allow Midway Cos. to develop 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land owned by
Houston Airport System (HAS) on the grounds of Bush Airport. Midway planned to develop a travel center for the airport's rental car facility. The city dictated the developer needed to place a convenience store and gas station facility, a flight information board, a fast casual restaurant, and a sit-down restaurant in the development. Beyond the required buildings, the developer planned to add an office facility of between 20,000 and 40,000 square feet (1,900 and 3,700 m2) and additional retail space.[36]
In 2011, Continental Airlines began
Boeing 777-200ER services to
Lagos, Nigeria; this was the airport's first nonstop flight to the African continent. In May 2016, United ended the Houston–Lagos service citing the inability to repatriate revenue sold locally in Nigerian currency.[37]South African Airways previously operated nonstop
Boeing 747SP services in 1983 between Houston and
Amilcar Cabral International Airport in the
Cape Verde islands off the coast of Africa as a refueling stop for its flights between Houston and
Johannesburg, South Africa.[38][39] Continental was also planning to commence nonstop
Boeing 787 services to
Auckland in New Zealand but these plans were canceled as a reaction to new international flights at Hobby Airport announced by Southwest Airlines.[40] United — which acquired Continental and had fully integrated it into the United brand by early 2012 — had postponed the introduction of this service owing to delays associated with the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner.[41] Its 787s were put to use on other international routes, however, including Houston–London and United's then-new Houston–Lagos nonstop flights. The Houston–Auckland nonstop route was then begun by
Air New Zealand using a
Boeing 777-200ER. In 2014, United added a second daily flight to Tokyo and new routes to Munich, Germany; Santiago, Chile; and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and it restarted the Aruba route, which had been canceled in 2012.
In August 2012,
Lufthansa switched its daily Houston–Frankfurt route to an
Airbus A380 from a
Boeing 747-400, making Houston the first airport in Texas to receive A380 service. In addition, Lufthansa has also operated the
Boeing 747-8 on the route. Dubai-based carrier Emirates has also operated the A380 on the Dubai-Houston route.
IAH became the first airport in North America to have nonstop flights to every inhabited continent in 2017, with the addition of
Air New Zealand, but lost this claim when
Atlas Air ended its nonstop flight to
Luanda. The airport regained this status in December 2019 when
Ethiopian Airlines launched service to
Lomé in
Togo and
Addis Ababa in
Ethiopia.[42]
On September 7, 2017, United announced the launch of flights from Houston to
Sydney, using a 787-9. The Houston–Sydney service, at 8,596 miles (13,834 km), is currently United's longest nonstop route. Additionally, it surpassed
Emirates' Dubai route as the longest flight at IAH.[43]
In January 2019,
Ethiopian Airlines became the latest international carrier to announce new service, three-times weekly, to Addis Ababa. The route will be Addis Ababa–Lome–Houston, and the airline is replacing its Los Angeles gateway for Houston. The route will be serviced using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and will be the city's only gateway to Africa after service to Lagos, Nigeria, was canceled by United Airlines. Service was supposed to begin in June 2019, but was delayed until December 2019. Service began on December 16, 2019. Ethiopian Airlines has since discontinued the route. [42]
In October 2020, Southwest Airlines announced it would return to Bush airport for the first time since it stopped serving the airport in 2005. Service began in April 2021 with five nonstop destinations, augmenting the several dozen destinations it serves from Hobby airport.[44]
On July 20, 2022,
Spirit Airlines crew base plans were cleared. It was also announced that Spirit will bring 500 new jobs to the Houston Area. They added Bush airport as their tenth crew base and Focus city.[45]
Future
George Bush Intercontinental Airport is currently undergoing a $1.3 billion capital improvement program called the IAH Terminal Redevelopment Program (ITRP).[46] The flagship project of this program is the construction of the Mickey Leland International Terminal (MLIT), which will consolidate what is today Terminal D and Terminal E into one centralized terminal including a shared ticketing, departure, and arrival hall.[47] Terminal D will be extensively refurbished with a new concourse, Pier D West, being constructed.[48] The ITRP should be complete by late 2024 or early 2025. Future expansion plans call for a Central D and East D pier to be built as passenger numbers grow, with the full project being capable of handling 33 million enplaned international passengers annually.[46]
Facilities
Terminals
George Bush Intercontinental Airport has five terminals and 131 total gates, 101 with
jet bridges and 30
hardstands.[49] The
Skyway automated people mover system provides
airside connections between all five terminals.[50] The
Subway provides
landside connections between the five terminals and the airport hotel.[51] Terminals D & E have access to an international arrivals facility, and Terminal D has gates to support
super jumbo jets including the
Airbus A380 and
Boeing 747-8.[52]
Terminal A is primarily used by non-United domestic carriers. It contains 20 gates.[49]
Terminal B is used for
United Express flights. It contains 40 gates, including 30 hardstands.[49]
Terminal C is used for United domestic flights. It contains 29 gates.[49]
Terminal D is used for non-United international flights. It contains 12 gates.[49]
Terminal E is used for United international flights. It contains 24 gates.[49]
Ground transportation
From
Downtown Houston one can travel to George Bush Intercontinental by taking
Interstate 69/
U.S. Route 59 (Eastex Freeway) to
Beltway 8 or to Will Clayton Parkway, and access the airport from either road. From Downtown one could also take
Interstate 45 (North Freeway), connect to Beltway 8, and enter the airport from the Beltway.[53] The Hardy Toll Road has an exit from the north or south to the airport.
The
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, or METRO, offers bus services available at the south side of Terminal C. The 102 Bush IAH Express serves the airport. Previously, METRO also operated an express bus service known as Airport Direct, launched in the summer of 2008, which traveled from
Downtown Houston to Terminal C via the
HOV lane of the Eastex Freeway
(I-69)/
(US 59).[54][55][56] In 2010, in an effort to increase ridership and maximize revenue, METRO reduced the fare of Airport Direct and closed a dedicated passenger plaza for the service in Downtown Houston; instead, the bus stopped at several downtown hotels.[57] The fare each way was reduced from $15 to $4.50. The fare change increased ridership levels but reduced cash flow. METRO consistently provided the service at an operational loss.[58] However, in the summer of 2011, METRO announced it was discontinuing the Airport Direct service, while the Route 102 local service (which serves the greater
Greenspoint business and residential district before traveling on I-45 to access downtown) continued to operate.[59]
As of 2016 the Taiwanese airline EVA Air operates a shuttle bus service from Bush IAH to
Richardson in the
Dallas-Fort Worth area so DFW based customers may fly on its services to and from Houston.[60] Previously
China Airlines, also a Taiwanese carrier, provided a shuttle bus service to
Sugar Land and the
Southwest Houston Chinatown.[61] It ended in 2008 when China Airlines ended its Houston passenger service.[62]
Ed Carpenter's "Light Wings", a multicolored glass sculpture suspended below a skylight, adorns the Terminal A North Concourse.[63] In Terminal A, South Concourse stands
Terry Allen's "Countree Music." Allen's piece is a cast bronze tree that plays instrumental music by
Joe Ely and
David Byrne, though the music is normally turned off. The corridor leading to Terminal A displays
Leamon Green's "Passing Through," a 200-foot (61 m) etched glass wall depicting airport travelers.[64]
The elevators in Terminal B are cased in stainless steel accordion shaped structures designed by Rachel Hecker.[65] The corridor leading to Terminal B has
Dixie Friend Gay's "Houston Bayou." This work is composed of an 8 ft × 75 ft (2.4 m × 22.9 m) Byzantine glass mosaic mural depicting scenes from Houston's bayous and wetlands, several bronze animals embedded in the floor, and five mosaic columns.
"Lights Spikes," designed by Jay Baker, was created for the 1990
G7 Summit when it was hosted by President George H. W. Bush in Houston. The sculpture was relocated to the airport outside E Terminal after the meetings, from its original location in front of the
George R. Brown Convention Center. The columns lean at a ten-degree angle toward a central point that represents Houston. The distance between each "spike" and this point is relative to the distance between Houston and the capitals of the countries the flags represent. The countries represented are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Canada, Italy and Germany, as well as the European community.[66] The airport has a display of lighted modern sculptures between terminals C and D.[53]
Radiant Fountains, LED-illuminated towers on JFK Boulevard, is the most prominent sculpture around the airport.[67]
Other facilities
The airport houses an on-site hotel, a
Marriott, between Terminals B and C and is accessible via the landside inter-terminal train which runs every 3 minutes from 3:30 am to 12:30 am every day. The hotel has 573 rooms, one restaurant and bar, a concierge lounge, a coffee shop, health club, sundry shop and a conference center.[68]
A
VOR station, identified as IAH, is located on the airport property, south of runway 33L.[69]
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on
Phabricator and on
MediaWiki.org.
Annual passenger traffic at IAH airport.
See
Wikidata query.
Annual passenger traffic (enplaned + deplaned) at IAH, 1987–Present[116]
Year
Passengers
Year
Passengers
Year
Passengers
Year
Passengers
1987
15,388,667
1997
28,678,153
2007
42,998,040
2017
40,696,216
1988
15,109,521
1998
31,017,804
2008
41,708,580
2018
43,807,539
1989
16,013,660
1999
33,051,248
2009
40,007,354
2019
45,264,059
1990
17,515,813
2000
35,251,372
2010
40,479,569
2020
18,217,267
1991
18,127,395
2001
34,763,443
2011
40,187,442
2021
33,677,118
1992
19,349,310
2002
33,913,759
2012
39,890,756
2022
40,977,839
1993
20,173,941
2003
34,208,170
2013
39,625,358
2023
46,192,094
1994
22,456,792
2004
36,513,098
2014
40,302,345
1995
24,690,166
2005
39,716,583
2015
43,023,224
1996
26,460,192
2006
42,550,432
2016
41,692,372
Accidents and incidents
February 1, 1975: a
Douglas DC-3 N15HC of Horizon Properties crashed on approach when the port wing collided with an electricity pylon. The aircraft was on a domestic non-scheduled passenger flight from
Lawton Municipal Airport, Oklahoma, to
Huntsville Regional Airport, Texas. The flight was diverted to Houston for weather. Of the 16 occupants,[117] two crew and three passengers were killed.[118]
August 23, 1990: a
Grumman Gulfstream I operated by Rowan Drilling Company; power loss in an engine after take-off resulted in a failed attempt to regain altitude en route to
New Orleans International Airport. The aircraft crashed on departure from Runway 15L and came to rest midfield along a parallel taxiway. There were three fatalities.[119]
On September 11, 1991,
Continental Express Flight 2574 was on descent to the airport when it suffered a structural failure because of improper maintenance, killing all 14 people on board.
February 19, 1996: a Continental Airlines
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 operating as
Continental Airlines Flight 1943 from
Ronald Reagan National Airport arriving in Houston, Texas, landed with its landing gear in the stowed position on Runway 27. The aircraft slid for 6,915 feet (2,108 m) on its belly before stopping on the runway 140 feet (43 m) left of the runway centerline approximately at the departure end of the runway. There were no fatalities and only minor injuries. The aircraft was written off.[120]
January 13, 1998, a
Learjet 25 operated by American Corporate Aviation crashed 2 miles (3.2 km) east of IAH descending below the glideslope. Both occupants were killed.[121]
February 23, 2019:
Atlas Air Flight 3591, a Boeing 767-300ERF operated for
Amazon Air crashed into
Trinity Bay while on approach, 30 miles (48 km) southeast of the airport. All three crew members were killed.
March 8, 2024:
United Airlines Flight 2477, a Boeing 737 Max, from Memphis, Tennessee landed and slid off the runway into the grass next to the runway while it was turning onto the taxiway. No one was injured.[122]