Houston air travel gained 2.4% over last year, logging over 5.37 million passengers in October. Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) saw approximately 4.13 million passengers, up 3.9% year over year, while Hobby Airport saw a 2.5% loss in passengers at 1.23 million.

Year to date, the Houston Airport System has seen over 52 million passengers, up 4.9% compared to the same period last year. Domestic travelers through Houston make up approximately 41.5 million passengers, a 5.2% increase, while international traffic has grown 3.9% to reach over 10.8 million passengers.

Air Traffic – In the Numbers

Domestic travel through the airport system hit 4.37 million travelers in October alone, a 2.5% gain YOY. IAH saw approximately 3.2 million, up 4.6%, however, Hobby Airport showed some declines compared to last year, with 1.17 million domestic passengers, down 2.7%.

Budget friendly options showed growth this October, with a 46.1% year over year increase in domestic passengers who flew with Spirit Airlines for instance. United Airlines increased domestic passenger traffic by 4.2%, while Southwest Airlines saw a loss of 11.1% compared to October 2023.

International traffic showed a modest increase, gaining 1.6% for almost 1 million passengers. Over 930,000 international passengers passed through IAH in October, up 1.6%, while Hobby showed growth of 1.8% to reach over 62,000 passengers. Almost 65% of international traffic in October came from Mexico as well as Central and South America, making up over 640,00 passengers. Europe came in a distant second, making up approximately 16% of total international traffic, while Canada ranked third, making up about 7% of foreign passengers.

See full stats here.

Written by Megan Henson