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» » » History of IAH
By the early 1960's the need for an air transportation alternative to Hobby Airport was very clear to many Houstonians. Further development at Hobby would be hampered by land limitations at that airport.
In anticipation of a decision by the city to proceed with the development and construction of a new international airport, and knowing that it would play a vital role in Houston's economic future, a group of civic minded businessmen purchased approximately 3,000 acres of land north of Houston. When city leaders decided to go ahead and build the airport, the business group sold the tract of land to the city at cost.
Houston Intercontinental Airport was opened in 1969. At that time, all passenger airline service moved from Hobby Airport to the new airport. In its first year of operation the airport served 4,511,362 passengers.
At first only Terminals A and B were built and in service. As traffic grew at the airport, new facilities were added. Terminal C opened in 1981 and nine years later, in 1990, the Mickey Leland International Airlines Building opened its gates to international passenger service.
Over the years, a variety of airlines flew from Houston Intercontinental Airport. Some like Eastern, Braniff, Texas International, People Express, and Western have long disappeared or been merged with other carriers. Others, like KLM, have been at the airport since its opening day.
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© Houston Airport System
| The airport was renamed George Bush Intercontinental Airport/Houston in 1997, in honor of Former President George Bush. President Bush is a long time resident of Houston and was present at the airport's opening in 1969 when he was a Member of Congress representing the Houston area. Its IATA three letter designator, IAH, remains the same however.
A number of improvements, currently in the construction or planning stages, promise to keep Bush Intercontinental Airport as the South Central United States' international passenger gateway of choice and further enhance Houston's prominent position as a world trade center. For more information on these, visit our Capital Improvements Program web site.
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