William P. Hobby Airport

William P. Hobby Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Houston
OperatorHouston Airport System
ServesGreater Houston
LocationHouston, Texas, U.S.
OpenedJune 1927; 97 years ago (1927-06)
Operating base forSouthwest Airlines[1]
Elevation AMSL46 ft / 14 m
Coordinates29°38′44″N 95°16′44″W / 29.64556°N 95.27889°W / 29.64556; -95.27889
Websitewww.fly2houston.com/hou
Maps
FAA diagram as of 2014
FAA diagram as of 2014
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
04/22 7,602 2,317 Concrete
13L/31R 5,148 1,569 Concrete
13R/31L 7,602 2,317 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft operations197,933
Total Passengers13,908,466

William P. Hobby Airport (IATA: HOU, ICAO: KHOU, FAA LID: HOU) — colloquially referred to as Houston Hobby or other short names — is an international airport in Houston, Texas, located 7 mi (11 km) from downtown Houston.[4] Hobby is Houston's oldest commercial airport, and was its primary airport until the Houston Intercontinental Airport, now known as the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, opened in 1969. Hobby was initially closed after the opening of Houston Intercontinental; however, it was re-opened after several years, and became a secondary airport for domestic airline service, and a center for corporate and private aviation.

Houston Hobby is an operating base for Southwest Airlines, which has international and domestic flights from HOU, and carries the vast majority of its passengers. As of December 2017, Houston Hobby is the fifth largest airport in Southwest's network.[5] Southwest opened its first international terminal at Houston Hobby, and began service from Houston Hobby to Mexico and Central and South America on October 15, 2015.[6]

The William P. Hobby Airport covers 1,304 acres (528 ha), and has three runways.[2][7] Its original art deco terminal building, the first passenger airline terminal in Houston, now houses the 1940 Air Terminal Museum.

Hobby became the first 5-Star Airport in North America by Skytrax in 2022.[8]

  1. ^ "Southwest Airlines Announces New Crew Base for Pilots and Flight Attendants at Nashville International Airport (BNA)" (Press release). August 14, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  2. ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for HOU PDF, effective July 11, 2024.
  3. ^ "Traffic & Statistics". Houston Airport System. April 2018. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  4. ^ "Frontier Airlines to change airports in Houston Archived October 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine." Denver Business Journal. Monday August 9, 2010. Retrieved on March 27, 2011.
  5. ^ "Southwest Airlines Newsroom". Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  6. ^ Maxon, Terry (September 30, 2013). "Southwest Airlines, Houston officials break ground on new Hobby international terminal". Dallas Morning News (blog). Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  7. ^ "HOU airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  8. ^ "Houston William P. Hobby Airport is the first 5-Star Airport in North America". Skytrax. January 7, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.