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The Houston Airport System (HAS) handled 61.8 million passengers in the 12 months ending July ’26. That represents a slight 1.1 percent decrease from the 62.4 million handled a year earlier but remains above pre-pandemic levels of travel. Domestic and international travel accounted for 48.7 million and 13.1 million passengers, respectively.

Monthly passenger traffic in July was down 1.4 percent from a year earlier, driven by a 6.6 percent decrease at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU). In contrast, passenger traffic at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) increased by 0.2 percent. Domestic travel decreased 1.1 percent to 4.5 million passengers, and international travel fell 2.3 percent to 1.4 million passengers.

Houston Airports handled a record 598,139 metric tons of cargo in fiscal year ’26, up 7.2 percent from fiscal year ’25. June was the strongest month for cargo in the airport system’s history, with 58,081 metric tons handled, a 20.4 percent increase from the same month a year earlier. IAH accounted for more than 98 percent of the system’s cargo volume.

Houston City Council has approved $129.9 million in airport-system funding for infrastructure improvements at IAH. The funding is part of a $229.9 million, seven-project program that includes improvements to parking access, stormwater systems, utilities, and airfield access.

For more news, visit fly2houston.com.

 

Prepared by Greater Houston Partnership Research

Colin Baker
Director of Economic Research
Greater Houston Partnership
bakerc@houston.org

Tia Hufstetler
Research Analyst
Greater Houston Partnership
thufstetler@houston.org