Air travel in Houston declined 4.3% in April, compared to the same time last year, showing just under 5 million passengers through Hobby Airport (HOU) and Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Hobby Airport saw the largest drop, declining 8.6% to 1.1 million passengers, while IAH dipped almost 3%, accommodating approximately 3.8 million passengers.

Year to date, air passenger traffic is down 2.6% through the Houston Airport System, for a total of 19.1 million passengers. Domestic air travel in the first four months hit 15 million passengers, down 3.2%, while international air travel lost only 0.3% to land at 4.1 million.

Air Traffic – In the Numbers

Domestic travel through HAS declined 5.7% over last year for almost 3.9 million passengers. Bush Intercontinental saw 2.8 million passengers, a 4.7% decrease, while Hobby lost 8.3% of passengers, at just over 1 million passengers. Domestic travel declines were felt across most major airlines, with Spirit Airlines seeing the largest decline at 15.4%, followed closely by Southwest Airlines, losing 15.1% of passenger traffic YOY. United and Delta Airlines saw the shallowest declines in domestic travel, showing a respective 0.5% and 0.8% loss.

International travel in Houston increased 1.6%, reaching over 1 million passengers in April. This growth contrasts with national trends tracked by the National Travel and Tourism Office. According to NTTO, international visitor arrivals declined 8.1% as of March 2025, a continuation of declines in international visitors which started in February.

Gains in international passengers through Houston Airports can be credited to growth at IAH, which experienced a 2.9% YOY gain to almost 1 million. Though Hobby Airport saw a 13.2% YOY decline, about 71,000 passengers, the decline only accounted for approximately 10,000 less in overall international passengers in April.

Mexico, an international travel segment that accounts for more than 60% of international travelers to Houston, brought about 379,000 passengers through HAS in April, down 3.6% year-over-year and 10.5% compared with March. Canada brought just over 66,000 passengers in April, down 7% from March and less than 1% compared with last year.

See full stats here.