Keeping apace with the forecasted growth in passenger traffic, the Houston Airport System (HAS) registered significant increases in overall passenger traffic numbers for the month of November.

Both domestic and international travelers frequented the three-airport system at higher rates, year-over-year, through the first 11 months of 2005. The airport-system’s joint-use civil/military airport, Ellington Field also reported a considerable boost in aircraft operations for the month.

Total aircraft operations at Ellington Field – which houses facilities for the U.S. Coast Guard, NASA, the Texas Air National Guard and serves as a general aviation facility – grew by 49.2 percent for the month of November, with 3,490 more operations taking place at the facility year-over-year.

Year-to-date, 43.7 million passengers have traveled through HAS – an increase of 6.9 percent in comparison to same timeframe in 2004. In November alone, overall traveler numbers for the airport system increased by 6.1 percent. More specifically, in excess of 6.2 million international and 37 million domestic passengers have traveled through HAS year-to-date; registering substantial increases of 8.4 percent and 6.8 percent year-over-year, respectively.

Top-performing domestic carriers at HAS, the fourth-largest airport system in the United States, for the month of November included the duo American and American Eagle Airlines at Hobby Airport (HOU), which together registered an increase of 35.2 percent year-over-year; Southwest Airlines at HOU, with an increase of 5.8 percent; and Continental Express at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), with an increase of 31.7 percent.

International carriers who also faired significantly well during the 11th month of 2005 included Air France, with a notable increase of 29.8 percent year-over-year; Lufthansa, with an increase of 17.7 percent; and Aeromexico, with an increase of 5.8 percent.

International freight poundage at IAH, for the month of November, also saw a second consecutive-month of positive increases in air cargo shipments year-over-year, with an increase of 2.4 percent for the month, despite industry-wide lackluster results in air cargo growth.

Belly-freighters Aeromexico, Pakistan International Airlines and China Airlines were among the top-performers in this category for the month, with respective increases of 51.8 percent, 33.7 percent and 29.2 percent.

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