Located about 23 miles (37 km) north ofDowntown Houston[3] betweenInterstate 45 andInterstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 with direct access to theHardy Toll Road expressway, George Bush Intercontinental Airport has scheduled flights to a large number of domestic and international destinations covering five continents. It is the second busiest airport in Texas for international passenger traffic as of 2025 (behind DFW)[5] and has a number of international destinations, thesecond-busiest airport in Texas as of 2021 and the15th busiest in the United States for total passenger traffic as of 2022.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport'sair traffic control tower in December 2006
A group ofHouston 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 forWilliam 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 renamedWill Clayton Parkway.
The City of Houstonannexed 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 ofSharpstown, resulted in a gain of 51,251 acres (20,741 ha) of land for the city limits.[8]
Houston Intercontinental Airport, which was the original name for the airport, opened in June 1969.[4] The airport's IATA code of IAH derived from the stylization of the airport's name as "Intercontinental Airport of Houston."[9][10] All scheduled passenger airline service formerly operated fromWilliam P. Hobby Airport moved to Intercontinental upon the airport's completion. Hobby remained open as ageneral aviation airport and was once again used for scheduled passenger airline jet service two years later whenSouthwest Airlines initiatedintrastate airline service nonstop between Hobby andDallas Love Field in 1971.[11]
In the late 1980s,Houston City Council considered a plan to rename the airport afterMickey Leland—an African-AmericanU.S. Congressman who died in anaviation accident inEthiopia. 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 airportGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport/Houston, afterGeorge H. W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States.[4][12] The name change took effect on May 2, 1997.[13]
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.[14]
At the time of the opening of IAH in 1969, domestic scheduled passenger airline flights were being operated byAmerican Airlines, Braniff International Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eastern Air Lines, National Airlines and Houston-basedTexas International Airlines, which had formerly operated as Trans-Texas Airways.[15] International flights at this time were being flown by Pan American World Airways with ten nonstop flights a week operated withBoeing 707 jetliners to Mexico City;KLM Royal Dutch Airlines operatingDouglas DC-8 jets four days a week to Amsterdam via an intermediate stop in Montreal; Braniff International withBoeing 727 services several times a week toPanama City, Panama; and Aeronaves de Mexico (nowAeroméxico) flyingDouglas DC-9 jets toMonterrey,Guadalajara,Puerto Vallarta,Acapulco and Mexico City several days a week.[16][17][18][19] Texas International was also operating direct services to Mexico at this time withDouglas DC-9 jets toMonterrey andConvair 600 turboprop flights toTampico andVeracruz.[20]
KLM introducedBoeing 747 services in 1971 and by 1974Air France was operating four nonstop Boeing 747 flights a week to both Paris and Mexico City.[21][22] Also in 1974, Continental, Pan Am, and National were operatingMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 wide body jetliners into IAH while Delta was flyingLockheed 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.[23]
By July 1983, the number of domestic and international air carriers serving Intercontinental had grown substantially. American, Continental, Delta and Eastern had been joined byPiedmont Airlines, Southwest Airlines,TWA, United Airlines,USAir andWestern Airlines.[27] Western was operating dailyMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 wide body jet services nonstop toSalt Lake City at this time, with this flight also offering one-stop services toAnchorage, Alaska.[28] International services were being operated byAir Canada,Aviateca,British Caledonian Airways, Continental Airlines, Eastern Air Lines,SAHSA,South African Airways, TACA, TWA andViasa in addition to Pan Am, KLM, Air France, Aeroméxico and Cayman Airways.[29] Several commuter and regional airlines were also operating passenger services at this time from IAH includingEmerald Air (operating asPan Am Express), Metro Airlines,Rio Airways andRoyale Airlines.[27] Metro Airlines was operating "cross-town" shuttle services withde Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprops with up to seventeen round trip flights a day between IAH and theClear Lake CitySTOLport located near theNASA Johnson Space Center and also up to nine round trip flights a day between the airport andSugar Land Regional Airport as well as other flights to regional destinations in Texas and Louisiana.[27] In addition, at this same time the airport had scheduled helicopter airline services operated by Executive Helicopters withBell 206L LongRanger helicopters to four Houston-areaheliports with up to 36 round trip flights a day.[27]
Since Houston was not an approved gateway for U.S. toLondon Heathrow flights under theBermuda II Agreement,Continental Airlines, andBritish Airways flew their London services toLondon Gatwick. British Airways, keen to allow its passengers access to connections at its largerHeathrow 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 viaWashington-Dulles, with the technical stop being later changed toChicago-O'Hare and finally toDetroit. In March 2008, the Bermuda II agreement was replaced with the EU–USOpen Skies Agreement, allowing Continental Airlines and British Airways to switch its London services from Houston to Heathrow Airport that summer.[30] Gate BA presently operates double-daily flights to London's Heathrow Airport withBoeing 777 andBoeing 787 service.[31]
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 andINS until the opening of the new Federal Inspection Service (FIS) building, completed on January 25, 2005.[32]
On January 7, 2009, a Continental AirlinesBoeing 737-800 departing Bush Intercontinental was the first U.S. commercial jet to fly on a mix of conventionaljet fuel andbiofuel.[33][34]
In December 2009, the Houston City Council approved a plan to allow Midway Cos. to develop 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land owned byHouston 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.[35]
In 2011, United Airlines beganBoeing 777-200ER services toLagos, 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.[36]South African Airways previously operated nonstopBoeing 747SP services in 1983 between Houston andAmilcar Cabral International Airport in theCape Verde islands off the coast of Africa as a refueling stop for its flights between Houston andJohannesburg, South Africa.[37][38] Continental was also planning to commence nonstopBoeing 787 services toAuckland in New Zealand but these plans were canceled as a reaction to new international flights at Hobby Airport announced bySouthwest Airlines.[39] 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 theBoeing 787 Dreamliner.[40] 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 byAir New Zealand using aBoeing 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 anAirbus A380 from aBoeing 747-400, making Houston the first airport in Texas to receive A380 service. In addition, Lufthansa has also operated theBoeing 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 ofAir New Zealand, but lost this claim whenAtlas Air ended its nonstop flight toLuanda. The airport regained this status in December 2019 whenEthiopian Airlines launched service toLomé inTogo andAddis Ababa inEthiopia.[41]
On September 7, 2017, United announced the launch of flights from Houston toSydney, using a 787-9. The Houston–Sydney service, at 8,596 miles (13,834 km), is currently United's longest nonstop route. Additionally, it surpassedEmirates' Dubai route as the longest flight at IAH.[42]
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.[41]
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.[43] In 2024, however, Southwest suspended the service to Bush airport once again.
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.[44]
In 2020, George Bush Intercontinental Airport began undergoing a $1.3 billion capital improvement program called the IAH Terminal Redevelopment Program (ITRP).[45] 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.[46] Terminal D will be extensively refurbished with a new concourse, Pier D West, being constructed.[47] 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.[45]
George Bush Intercontinental Airport has five terminals and 121 total gates.[48] TheSkyway automated people mover system providesairside connections between all five terminals.[49] TheSubway provideslandside connections between the five terminals and the airport hotel.[50] Terminals D & E have access to an international arrivals facility, and Terminal D has gates to supportsuper jumbo jets including theAirbus A380 andBoeing 747-8.[51]
Terminal A is primarily used by non-United domestic carriers. It contains 20 gates.[48]
FromDowntown Houston one can travel to George Bush Intercontinental by takingI-69/US 59 (Eastex Freeway) toBeltway 8 or to Will Clayton Parkway, and access the airport from either road. From Downtown one could also takeI-45 (North Freeway), connect to Beltway 8, and enter the airport from the Beltway.[52] The Hardy Toll Road has an exit from the north or south to the airport.
TheMetropolitan 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 fromDowntown Houston to Terminal C via theHOV lane of the Eastex Freeway(I-69)/(US 59).[53][54][55] 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.[56] 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.[57] However, in the summer of 2011, METRO announced it was discontinuing the Airport Direct service, while the Route 102 local service (which serves the greaterGreenspoint business and residential district before traveling on I-45 to access downtown) continued to operate.[58]
As of 2025, Route 102 continues operating between Downtown Houston and the airport, via Greater Greenspoint, with up to 15 minute headway during weekdays.[59] In April of 2025, Houston Metro also re-introduced nonstop bus service between Downtown Houston and the airport, operating as Route 500 IAH Downtown Direct.[60] Route 500 operates non-stop between the George R. Brown Convention Center and Terminal C at the airport. The route travels via US-59 with a 30 minute headway.[61] Fares for Route 102 is priced at the local bus fare for $1.25 and Route 500 is $4.50.[62]
As of 2016 the Taiwanese airline EVA Air operates a shuttle bus service from Bush IAH toRichardson in theDallas–Fort Worth area so DFW based customers may fly on its services to and from Houston.[63] PreviouslyChina Airlines, also a Taiwanese carrier, provided a shuttle bus service toSugar Land and theSouthwest Houston Chinatown.[64] It ended in 2008 when China Airlines ended its Houston passenger service.[65]
Flag posts ofG7 member countries plus theEuropean Union titledLight Spikes located outside the airport entrance
Ed Carpenter'sLight Wings, a multicolored glass sculpture suspended below a skylight, adorns the Terminal A North Concourse.[66] In Terminal A, South Concourse standsTerry Allen'sCountree Music. Allen's piece is a cast bronze tree that plays instrumental music byJoe Ely andDavid Byrne, though the music is normally turned off. The corridor leading to Terminal A displaysLeamon Green'sPassing Through, a 200-foot (61 m) etched glass wall depicting airport travelers.[67]
The elevators in Terminal B are cased in stainless steel accordion shaped structures designed by Rachel Hecker.[68] The corridor leading to Terminal B hasDixie Friend Gay'sHouston 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 1990G7 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 theGeorge 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.[69] The airport has a display of lighted modern sculptures between terminals C and D.[52]
Radiant Fountains, LED-illuminated towers on JFK Boulevard, is the most prominent sculpture around the airport.[70]
The airport houses an on-site hotel, aMarriott, 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.[71]
AVOR station, identified as IAH, is located on the airport property, south of runway 33L.[72]
Minute Suites are available at Terminal C North, offering private relaxation suites and showers past security.[73]
February 1, 1975: aDouglas 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 fromLawton Municipal Airport, Oklahoma, toHuntsville Regional Airport, Texas. The flight was diverted to Houston for weather. Of the 16 occupants,[180] two crew and three passengers were killed.[181]
August 23, 1990: aGrumman 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 toNew Orleans International Airport. The aircraft crashed on departure from Runway 15L and came to rest midfield along a parallel taxiway. There were three fatalities.[182]
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 AirlinesMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 operating as Continental Airlines Flight 1943 fromRonald Reagan Washington National Airport, arriving in Houston, 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.[183]
January 13, 1998, aLearjet 25 operated by American Corporate Aviation crashed 2 miles (3.2 km) east of IAH descending below the glideslope. Both occupants were killed.[184]
February 23, 2019:Atlas Air Flight 3591, a Boeing 767-300ERF operated forAmazon Air crashed intoTrinity Bay while on approach, 30 miles (48 km) southeast of the airport. All three crewmembers were killed.
Denver, Colorado
Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois
Los Angeles, California
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Atlanta, Georgia
Las Vegas, Nevada
Newark, New Jersey
Orlando, Florida
New York–LaGuardia, New York
Mexico City, Mexico
San Salvador, El Salvador
London–Heathrow, United Kingdom
Frankfurt, Germany
Guatemala City, Guatemala
San José, Costa Rica
Toronto–Pearson, Canada
0.7%
21.7%
