The Houston Airport System is the aviation department of the city of Houston Texas that operates and manages the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport, and Ellington Airport.
You recently moved from the role of COO to the top job at Houston Airports. Now you are firmly at the helm, how have your priorities shifted?
Houston Airports must deliver the infrastructure needed to support continued passenger growth. Houston is a growing market; in the past year, we welcomed an estimated 140,000 people into the Houston area. Traffic through our airports is forecasted to almost double by 2050. Investing in the necessary infrastructure will solve many of the challenges we are currently facing as we work to provide a five-star level of service to our passengers. Houston Airports achieved a five-star Skytrax rating at Hobby Airport in 2022 and continues to maintain the five-star rating. Bush Airport has achieved and maintained a four-star Skytrax rating for seven consecutive years.
Houston Airports is welcoming large investments by its hub carriers. Southwest Airlines is investing $470 million to expand Hobby Airport and United Airlines is investing $2.55 billion at Bush Airport. There's natural population growth, Houston also has a very robust business community including the world’s largest medical center and the power position as the energy capital of the world. Houston also serves as a primary gateway to Latin America.
The Houston Airport System is the only urban spaceport in America. How do you manage the convergence between aviation and aerospace?
Houston is the original space city, and is home to NASA and the Johnson Space Center. The Houston Spaceport is heavily focused on manufacturing. Our three anchor tenants - Collins Aerospace, Axiom Space, and Intuitive Machines - are each working with NASA to support missions to the moon and beyond. Today, technology literally created at the Houston Spaceport is now sitting on the moon. We also have companies like Venus Aerospace that are working on hypersonic flights, which are aiming to support hour-long flights between Houston and London.
Our FAA commercial spaceport license, which we secured in 2015, supports horizontal space planes. Until that technology is developed, Houston Airport is focused on manufacturing.. In terms of competition from other spaceports, the Houston Spaceport is the world’s first truly urban spaceport – about 20 miles from Downtown Houston. Our location and anchor tenants and proximity to NASA help in attracting talent to live in the fourth largest city in the U.S.. Many of the investments made at the Houston Spaceport are because of its prime location; we advertise our spaceport as offering the three L’s: location, livability, and labor.
Given the projected increases in passenger traffic, especially during seasonal peaks, what technological solutions are you implementing to minimize delays and cancellations?
Houston Airports is installing a new parking system that includes license plate recognition. Customers can reserve their parking spot online and enjoy a seamless process from entry to exit. We are also using biometric technology to expedite the international boarding process, and when arriving in the U.S. via Houston, new U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Global Entry kiosks and Mobile Passport technology provide passengers arriving internationally more options.
Behind the scenes, Houston Airport has developed its own app that measures the passenger journey. From the app, our team can monitor roadway traffic in real-time, the cleanliness of our restrooms and TSA wait times. Our investment in more modern TSA equipment allows for the fastest passenger processing times. The new international terminal at Bush Airport will offer the latest screening technology, including walk-through metal detectors.
Houston Airport is undergoing a $1.458 billion international terminal expansion project at Bush Airport, but there have been notable delays in getting this project up and running. What are the main bottlenecks to the terminal transformation?
The new international terminal at Bush Airport consists of three projects: a refresh of the existing Terminal D, a new D-West Pier and a new International Central Processor. The new IAH Terminal D-West Pier includes space for six new gates, more amenities and an expanded retail and dining experience for international passengers. There are two phases to the terminal project: planning and construction. Houston Airports experienced some delays during the planning phase. We needed to find the optimal solution to expand the complex in a constrained environment. From a construction standpoint, it's a pretty standard timeline. The D-West Pier will take roughly two and a half years to build, and the all-new International Central Processor, which will house Ticketing, Baggage Claim and new concessions will need about three and a half years to complete.. Building a new international terminal in a constrained site- with roadways, parking garages, tunnels, and airspace restrictions- is a challenge.
Despite that, Houston Airports is maintaining a tremendous safety record with zero lost time injuries, to date. The planning period was necessary to figure out the best way to fit the new terminal into the existing space without tearing down Terminal D and starting again. We used a lot of computer modeling to test various solutions; sketching out ideas on paper is one thing but putting them into computer models helped us understand traffic flows and other logistics. Multiple iterations were necessary to find a solution that worked for both the gate and roadway perspectives.
What measures are you taking to modernize ageing infrastructure at your airports so you can better adopt newer technologies?
Our biggest piece of ageing infrastructure at Bush Airport is Terminal A- one of two original terminals that opened in June 1969. Terminal A houses all domestic carriers, with the exception of United Airlines. Renovating 55-year-old infrastructure, may be too problematic, so Houston Airports is considering building a whole new terminal outside of the terminal complex.
Building on a greenfield space would solve that infrastructure challenge with fewer growing pains. Bush Airport sits on 11,000 acres of land, which supports options that many legacy airports simply do not have. Instead of a traditional stick build, we may build the terminal modularly to accelerate delivery as the foundation is being built, then assemble the terminal like a LEGO set. This could significantly speed up construction.
Houston Airport is also addressing its traffic challenges with the new International Central Processor that will support 8 dedicated lanes along the International Arrivals Curb and 11 dedicated lanes along the International Departures Curb. United Airlines is investing $2.55 billion to expand Terminal B, creating modern piers for domestic growth, and significantly increasing the capacity for domestic travelers. At Hobby Airport, we have a seven-gate expansion, primarily for Southwest Airlines, with one gate to support other air carriers.
Looking forward to the future, what partnerships and projects are you most excited about over the next 2-5 years?
We're working with several partners in the space industry, including the Rice University Space Institute, the French Space Agency, Texas Southern University, San Jacinto College, and The Texas Space Commission. We're partnering with Wisk Aero and Archer Aviation on the development of infrastructure needed to support air taxis. Houston Airports is also working with Airbus, the Center for Houston's Future and Chevron to explore the possibility of developing a hydrogen hub at Bush Airport and potentially support the future of commercial aviation.
Houston Airport emphasizes the importance of recycling materials during construction. Our infrastructure projects adhere to LEED silver equivalent building standards and we are upgrading to more efficient air conditioning equipment. Houston Airports buys 100% renewable energy through credits, offsetting greenhouse gases with sustainable electricity from solar and wind farms across Texas. Future projects will incorporate sustainable practices, focusing on energy efficiency and resilience against hurricanes and challenges to the state’s power grid. Houston Airports is also exploring how to incorporate solar and hydrogen solutions into its new terminals to ensure they function optimally.
