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» Press Releases
HOUSTON - The Houston Airport System (HAS) has adopted a preferred alternative for future development at Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The selection of this preferred alternative is a key milestone for the IAH master plan process. The plan prepares IAH to accommodate the projected 70 million annual passengers forecast to pass through its gates by 2025. Members of Houston City Council will be briefed about the plan during the Council Aviation Committee's meeting on June 16th.
The preferred alternative includes two additional east-west runways within the airport's existing footprint, significantly reducing costs and neighborhood impacts. One runway would be constructed south of existing Runway 9-27. The other runway would be constructed north of Runway 8R-26L inside the existing airport boundary.
To reach this decision the master plan team and HAS used evaluation criteria such as cost, feasibility, environmental impacts, and future expansion potential in the selection process to narrow down the alternatives to the preferred plan. The preferred alternative is designed for incremental construction where passenger traffic demands trigger the need for new facilities.
The next steps in the planning process will finalize the layout, determine the development sequence, establish a land acquisition plan, prepare detailed cost estimates, develop a funding plan, create a ground access improvement plan that includes a METRO rail connection at IAH, and formulate a strategy to meet the demands for other support facilities such as cargo buildings and hangars.
“This decision now gives Bush Intercontinental Airport a path to follow for future development,” said Richard Vacar, director of the Houston Airport System. “This path also balances the need for added runway capacity and new terminal areas with the desires of our neighbors.”
George Bush Intercontinental Airport is vital to our economy, serves as Houston's most important economic engine and is a key element of Southeast Texas' transportation system. It is responsible for over 118,000 jobs, $19.4 billion in sales and $5.6 billion in personal income.
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The Houston Airport System served more than 44.8 million passengers in 2004. It is the 4th-largest multi-airport system in the U.S. and the 6th-largest in the world. Bush Intercontinental is the world's 12th-busiest airport. For more information, visit www.houstonairportsystem.org.
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