The George Bush International Airport (IAH) is located in Houston, Texas, one of the largest and most populous metropolitan areas in America. The airport services both domestic and international travelers and is the primary airport for those that live in Sugar Land, Houston and Baytown. The airport was named in honor of former President, George H.W. Bush.
In 2010, George Bush International Airport handled more than 40,000,000 passengers. This figure ranked it as the nation’s seventh busiest airports, in terms of passenger travel. According to the United State Department of Transportation, George Bush International Airport is one of the most rapidly growing in the U.S.
Continental, who recently merged with United Airlines, is one of the airport’s largest airliners. George Bush serves as its largest hub. Each day, roughly 800 Continental flights depart from the airport.
The land where George Bush International Airport now stands was initially purchased by several local businessmen. The goal was to buy and then hold on the land, until Houston decided to build another airport. The group of men formed a company and named it the Jet Era Ranch Corporation. Due to an error of some type, the company was referred to as Jetero.
What is now known as George Bush International Airport, was annexed in 1965, as was land in Bayport, the area surrounding Fondren Road and portions of Sharpstown. In all, more than 51,000 acres were annexed.
The airport was originally called Houston International Airport. It began operations in 1969. Air traffic from nearby William P. Hobby Airport was transferred to Houston Intercontinental once it was built. The Hobby airport would continue to operate but not in the capacity it once did.
The George Bush Airport would undergo several name changes, before one was finally settled on. In the latter part of the 1980s there was talk of naming the airport after a gentleman by the name of Mickey Leland. Leland was a congressman who was killed in an airplane crash in Africa. The powers that be decided against doing so, choosing instead, to name one of the airport’s buildings after him. Terminal D became Mickey Leland Terminal D. The city would eventually decide to name the city after George Bush, the nations’ 41st U.S. President.
IAH is one of the busiest airports in the United States for both domestic and international travel — and has the IAH airport parking required to meet its needs. Airlines fly to nearly 200 destinations. Only O’Hare in Chicago and The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, fly to more places.
Many of the passengers who use the George Bush International Airport are either flying out of Houston or ending their travels there. In fact roughly 45% of them are doing either.
The airport is one of the most efficient in the country. IAH is the top ranking airport in America in terms of on-time performance.
Many of George Bush International flights are to and from Mexico. The airport has more international flights, to more cities in Mexico, than any other in the United States. In addition to flying to Mexico, the airport handles quite a few, non-stop international flight. There isn’t a habitable continent that George Bush International Airport doesn’t fly two. Only three other airports in the world can make that claim.