George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, United States, under class B airspace, serving the Greater Houston metropolitan area.
Located about 23 miles (37 km) north of Downtown Houston, between Interstate 45 and Interstate 69/U.S.
The airport, originally named “Houston Intercontinental Airport“, was later renamed after George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States.
In 2019, the airport served 45,264,059 passengers, making it the 47th busiest airport in the world, and the 14th busiest airport in the United States. IAH covers 10,000 acres (40.5 km2.) of land and has five runways.
Houston Intercontinental is the second largest passenger hub for United Airlines behind Chicago–O’Hare.
It served as a hub for Houston-based Texas International Airlines and commuter air carrier Metro Airlines, which was also based in the Houston area and started its first flights when Intercontinental opened in 1969. The airport also serves as a hub for Atlas Air, which hosts a crew base, maintenance, and cargo logistics.
History
Houston Intercontinental Airport, which was the original name for the airport, opened in June 1969.
The airport’s IATA code of IAH derived from the stylization of the airport’s name as “Intercontinental Airport of Houston.” 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.
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.
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.
The name change took effect on May 2, 1997.
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.
Facilities
The airport has five terminals and 130 gates encompassing 250 acres (1.0 km2),[citation needed] with a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) distance from Terminal A to Terminal D.
Two people movers service the airport. The Skyway (formerly TerminaLink) provides airside connections between all five terminals and the International Arrivals Building.
The Subway (formerly inter-terminal train) provides landside connections between the five terminals and the airport hotel. This system is based on the WEDway PeopleMover technology developed by Walt Disney Imagineering.
The airport houses an on-site hotel, a Marriott, between Terminals B and C and is accessible via the inter-terminal train which runs every 3 minutes from 3:30am–12:30am everyday.
The hotel has 573 rooms, one restaurant and bar, a concierge lounge, a coffee shop, health club, sundry shop and a conference center.
Terminal A
Terminal A serves all non-United domestic and Canadian operations as well as select United Express domestic operations and international departures.
It was one of the original two terminals to open in 1969 and was designed by Goleman & Rolfe and George Pierce-Abel B. Pierce.
Like Terminal B, it originally had four circular modules (called “Flight Stations” locally) at the end of corridors radiating out of the corners of the terminal.
However, in the late-1990s and early-2000s, the North and South Concourses were rebuilt into linear facilities to provide a smoother operation within the terminal. The project was completed in 2002 and was designed by Gensler.
erminal A has 20 gates, with 10 gates in the North Concourse and 10 gates in the South Concourse.
Terminal B
Terminal B serves most United Express domestic operations and international departures. As of 2017, United Express is the only tenant of Terminal B. It was one of the original two terminals of the airport to open in 1969 and was designed by Goleman & Rolfe and George Pierce-Abel B. Pierce.
It is mostly an unaltered terminal from its original design. For this reason, the jet bridges are considerably lower to the ground than most others. The terminal contains 37 gates and 20 hardstand gates.
The terminal underwent minor renovations from 1997 to 2001, designed by Gensler.
In 2011 the City of Houston announced it would demolish the gate areas of Terminal B and rebuild them. The architect for the project is Pierce, Goodwin, Alexander & Linville.
The first phase of the terminal’s renovation broke ground on January 23, 2012. Phase one of the project was completed in April 2013, and the first 15 gates of the new South Concourse became operational on May 21, 2013.
The remaining gates were completed in 2014, bringing the number of gates in the South Concourse to 30 (both types).
Lewis W. Cutrer Terminal C
Terminal C (also known as Lewis W. Cutrer Terminal) serves as United Airlines’ main base of domestic operations at IAH, and serves some United Express domestic operations and international departures.
It was the third terminal to be built at the airport, opening in 1981. It was designed by the Houston firm of Airport Architects, a joint venture of Golemon & Rolfe Architects and Pierce and Pierce Architects.
Terminal C has 31 gates. The terminal includes the airport’s interfaith chapel. The terminal underwent renovations from 2000 to 2005, designed by Gensler. On May 11, 2015, the airport broke ground on the airport’s new Terminal C north concourse, which opened in March 2017.
Designed by PGAL, the $170 million new concourse houses 14 gates, a renovated United Club, and numerous passenger amenities. The former northern concourse is currently closed pending demolition and incorporation into the forthcoming Terminal D redevelopment.
In March 2017 United also opened a Global Reception area for Global Services and Global First check-in which directly connects to the Premier Access/PreCheck security queue.
Mickey Leland Terminal D
Terminal D (known as Mickey Leland Terminal) serves all non-United international operations and some United Express international arrivals.
Opened in 1990 as the International Arrivals Building (IAB) and later renamed the Mickey Leland International Arrivals Building, the US$95 million terminal was designed by Golemon and Rolfe Architects, Pierce Goodwin Alexander, James L.Marshall Associates, and Molina and Associates.
In Terminal D airlines share gates, ticket counters, and terminal equipment, making it a “common use” facility. The Terminal D food court is located in the departures area.
In 2007 the airport authority began renovations in which 20 additional common-use ticket counters, upscale retail and restaurant shops, and new on-airport spa/beauty lounge will be added over the next few years.
Terminal D has 12 gates and several international lounges, including two separate British Airways Galleries Lounges (First and Club), a KLM Crown Lounge, an Air France Salon Lounge, and an Executive Lounge for Singapore, Emirates, Qatar, and Lufthansa.
Re-construction on Terminal D officially began October 18, 2019, starting with the demolition of Old Terminal C North.
Terminal E
Terminal E serves as United Airlines’ main base of international operations at IAH, in addition to some United Express international arrivals and some larger mainline domestic operations.
Terminal E is IAH’s newest terminal. It was designed by Corgan Associates and Spencer Partnership Architects, and it opened in two phases.
The first phase opened in June 2003 with 14 gates, and the second phase added 16 gates in February 2004 for a total of 30 gates.
United operates one large, three-floor United Club in Terminal E between Gates E11 and E12.
Originally Continental (before merging with United) used the terminal solely for domestic flights, but it relocated international operation to the new terminal after the new Federal Inspection Service (FIS) building opened.
The terminal was designed for maximum flexibility, with jetways designed to handle all types of aircraft. It was complete on time and under budget by approximately US$20 million.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport Data
- Country
- America
- Region
- North America
- Status
- In use
- Other name(s)
- Houston Intercontinental Airport
- Location
- Houston, Texas, U.S.
- Owner(s)
- City of Houston
- Official website
- fly2houston.com
- Operator(s)
- Houston Airport System
- Opened
- Jun, 1969
- Airport type
- Public
- Airport code
- IATA: IAHICAO: KIAHFAA LID: IAHWMO: 72243
- Airport area
- 10008 acres / 40.5 km²
- Runway length
- 1*3658 m,2*3048 m，1*2743 m，1*2866 m
- Passenger traffic
- 45.26 million(2019)
- Takeoffs and landings
- 478,070 sorties (2019)
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