Traffic through Houston airports was down 1.2% in May, bringing approximately 5.45 million passengers. Hobby saw a 7% YOY decline to 1.2 million passengers, while Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) showed a slight uptick, growing 0.6% to 4.2 million.

Year to date, traffic is down 2.3%, bringing in over 24.5 million travelers. Domestic traffic is down 3% through May to 19.3 million, while international passengers have increased about 0.5% to 5.3 million.

Air Traffic – In the Numbers

Domestic travel was down 2.4% in May, with 4.3 million travelers moving through the Houston Airport System. IAH saw approximately 4.3 million travelers, down less than 1%, while Hobby showed a 7% drop to 1.1 million. Declines in domestic passengers are hitting most airlines, with budget airlines like Spirit seeing the largest YOY declines, down 25%. Southwest Airlines also saw a dip in May, down 13.2%. United Airlines, in contrast, grew 6% over last year, welcoming 2.4 million passengers during the month.

International air travel, conversely, showed an overall gain of 3.5% year over year, with 1.1 million passengers in May. Similar to trends in domestic travelers through Houston, Hobby showed a 5.3% decline in traffic, while Bush Intercontinental welcomed over 1 million passengers, a 4.2% gain.

Gains in international travel through Houston represent a deviation from national trends. According to the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), air traffic enplanements dropped 0.8% compared to May 2024, with overseas visitation to the U.S. overall down 2.8% over last year.

See full stats here.

Written by Megan Henson

Pictured: Bush Intercontinental Airport