Want to soak up the sun in Rio? How about walking along “Abbey Road” on your way to “Big Ben” in London?

Reaching these destinations and several others, got a lot easier in 2008 with a string of announcements regarding new nonstop flights at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

By the end of March, it was already obvious that 2008 was going to be a memorable year in regards to adding new air service. Emirates Airlines had already boosted its weekly schedule to Dubai, UAE, when British Airways and Continental Airlines launched their new service to London’s Heathrow Airport.

Both British Airways and Continental were eager to take advantage of the “open skies” agreement, which essentially nullified the existing ban on direct flights between Heathrow and any destination in the state of Texas.

"It's a big day in our airport," Houston Mayor Bill White said at the Continental launch. "(IAH) has the second largest number of direct flights domestically and the second number of direct flights internationally of any US airport. The number of direct flights originating here has been growing faster than any other airport in the United States in the past several years."

March 2008 also brought a major announcement from Qatar Airways. The Middle Eastern carrier announced that it would begin operating three weekly flights between IAH and Qatar’s Doha International Airport (DOH).

Meanwhile Singapore Airlines was already moving forward with their expansion plans, launching nonstop service between Houston and Moscow, Russia on March 20.

“This is a very proud moment for the City of Houston, the Houston Airport System (HAS) and for the entire local community,” exclaimed Robert Wigington, HAS deputy director of marketing, communications and community affairs. “As an international gateway, we have a lot to offer. Not only do we have a strong origin and destination market, we also have an equally competitive connecting network.”