The Houston Airport System has revealed major economic contributions and future plans in a recent state of the airports address. Houston airports generated $40 billion in annual economic activity, supporting 200,000 jobs. George Bush Intercontinental accounted for $30 billion of the impact. Join us in this slideshow as we review this success in more detail.
The report was welcomed news after a fire suppression system malfunctioned at a United Airlines hangar at Bush Intercontinental in early 2024, releasing foam onto the tarmac.
United Airlines and environmental teams, with support from local agencies, quickly executed a mitigation plan to clean up the foam and address the situation.
Director of aviation for the Houston Airport System, Jim Szczesniak, said, “General tax dollars are not funding the airport at all.”
Szczesniak added, “About $30 billion of that impact is based at Bush and then $8 billion of that is based out of Hobby. Ellington’s around $2 billion. With that, we’re able to generate this $40 billion in economic activity and 200,000 jobs.”
Szczesniak said, “For the Christmas Holiday, the International Arrivals Terminal — the temporary one that chokes up the exit of the airport — that’s going to go away.”
In 2023, more than 500,000 tons of air cargo passed through Houston airports, creating $13 billion in cargo-related output.
Parking upgrades, including electronic license plate readers, aim to simplify payment and reduce delays at airport parking lots for a smoother customer experience.
Szczesniak stated, “Pre-Thanksgiving we got the entrance to the airport cleaned up, now pre-Christmas we’ll get the exit to the airport cleaned up. So, getting that new international curb up and running is going to be a big benefit not only for traffic but for customer experience.”
Szczesniak added, “So, we’re looking right now at a multitenant facility at the Spaceport, the big tenants are in 150-thousand square foot facilities, we’ve got some demand for smaller companies to support … so, we get that community growing by having some big fish and by having some little fish, so we help everybody in the pot.”
Earlier this year, a United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX veered off the runway onto grass at George Bush Airport. All 160 passengers and six crew were unharmed.
The plane, arriving from Memphis, was evacuated, and passengers were bused to the terminal. The FAA and NTSB are investigating the cause of the incident.
The event marked the third United Boeing incident in one week, including a tire loss on a Boeing 777 and an engine issue caused by debris ingestion on a Boeing 737.