Houston

===Airports===

[[File:New C North at IAH (37103365490).jpg|thumb|upright|Newest part of [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport#Terminals|Terminal C]], used exclusively by [[United Airlines]], at George Bush Intercontinental Airport|alt=]]
The [[Houston Airport System]], a branch of the municipal government, oversees the operation of three major public airports in the city. Two of these airports, [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] and [[William P. Hobby Airport]], offer [[commercial aviation]] service to a variety of domestic and international destinations and served 55 million passengers in 2016. The third, [[Ellington Airport (Texas)|Ellington Airport]], is home to the [[Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base]]. The [[Federal Aviation Administration]] and the state of Texas selected the Houston Airport System as "Airport of the Year" in 2005, largely due to the implementation of a $3.1&nbsp;billion airport improvement program for both major airports in Houston.<ref>{{cite press release |title=FAA selects the HAS as 2005 Airport of the Year |publisher=Houston Airport System |date=March 24, 2006 |url=http://www.fly2houston.com/0/8343/0/1906D1940/ |access-date=December 16, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928091537/http://www.fly2houston.com/0/8343/0/1906D1940/ |archive-date=September 28, 2007}}</ref>

[[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] (IAH), {{Convert|23|mi|km}} north of Downtown Houston between Interstates 45 and 69, is the eighth busiest commercial airport in the United States (by total passengers and aircraft movements) and forty-third busiest globally.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |url=http://www.fly2houston.com/newsroom/media-kit/fact-sheets/ |title=Fact Sheets |date=2017 |website=Houston Airport System |access-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325232222/http://www.fly2houston.com/newsroom/media-kit/fact-sheets/ |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://d14ik00wldmhq.cloudfront.net/media/filer_public/26/8c/268cc811-12d8-4e5a-bf7e-1e8ef23f1594/iah-fact_sheet-3-1-18.pdf |title=George Bush Intercontinental Airport Fact Sheet |date=March 1, 2018 |website=Houston Airport System |access-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325105823/https://d14ik00wldmhq.cloudfront.net/media/filer_public/26/8c/268cc811-12d8-4e5a-bf7e-1e8ef23f1594/iah-fact_sheet-3-1-18.pdf |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> The five-terminal, five-runway, {{Convert|11000|acre|hectare|adj=on}} airport served 40 million passengers in 2016, including 10 million international travelers.<ref name=":6" /> In 2006, the [[United States Department of Transportation]] named IAH the fastest-growing of the top ten airports in the United States.<ref>{{cite press release |title=2005 Total Airline System Passenger Traffic Up 4.6% From 2004 |publisher=[[Bureau of Transportation Statistics]] |date=April 27, 2006 |url=http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2006/bts020_06/html/bts020_06.html |access-date=December 16, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060922202239/http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2006/bts020_06/html/bts020_06.html |archive-date=September 22, 2006}}</ref> The [[Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center]] is at Bush Intercontinental.

Houston was the headquarters of [[Continental Airlines]] until its 2010 merger with [[United Airlines]] with headquarters in Chicago; regulatory approval for the merger was granted in October of that year. Bush Intercontinental is currently United Airlines' second largest [[airline hub|hub]], behind [[O'Hare International Airport]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/united-continental-planning-houston-flight-resumption-1504124008 |title=United Continental Planning Houston Flight Resumption |last=Carey |first=Susan |date=August 30, 2017 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=March 25, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325171259/https://www.wsj.com/articles/united-continental-planning-houston-flight-resumption-1504124008 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> United Airlines' share of the Houston Airport System's commercial aviation market was nearly 60% in 2017 with 16 million enplaned passengers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://d14ik00wldmhq.cloudfront.net/media/filer_public/21/50/2150fc6c-beba-4f96-ad3a-003c008aae76/fy17_report_11.pdf |title=Houston Airport System Statistical Report: 2017 Fiscal Year Summary |date=2017 |website=Houston Airport System |publisher=City of Houston |access-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302044742/https://d14ik00wldmhq.cloudfront.net/media/filer_public/21/50/2150fc6c-beba-4f96-ad3a-003c008aae76/fy17_report_11.pdf |archive-date=March 2, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> In early 2007, Bush Intercontinental Airport was named a model "port of entry" for international travelers by [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Airport designated 'model port of entry' |first=Bill Jr. |last=Hensel |date=April 5, 2007 |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=June 21, 2008 |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4319002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712130946/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4319002 |archive-date=July 12, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[William P. Hobby Airport]] (HOU), known as Houston International Airport until 1967, operates primarily short- to medium-haul domestic and international flights to 60 destinations.<ref name=":6" /> The four-runway, {{Convert|1304|acre|hectare|adj=on}} facility is approximately {{Convert|7|mi|km}} southeast of Downtown Houston. In 2015, [[Southwest Airlines]] launched service from a new international terminal at Hobby to several destinations in Mexico, Central America, and [[the Caribbean]]. These were the first international flights flown from Hobby since the opening of Bush Intercontinental in 1969.<ref>{{cite web |title=Southwest launches new international service at Houston Hobby Airport today |work=Dallas Morning News |date=October 15, 2015 |access-date=December 18, 2015 |url=http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2015/10/southwest-launches-new-international-service-at-houston-hobby-airport-today.html/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219000710/http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2015/10/southwest-launches-new-international-service-at-houston-hobby-airport-today.html/ |archive-date=December 19, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Houston's aviation history is showcased in the [[1940 Air Terminal Museum]] in the old terminal building on the west side of the airport. In 2009, Hobby Airport was recognized with two awards for being one of the top five performing airports globally and for customer service by [[Airports Council International]].<ref>{{cite web |title=William P. Hobby Airport Rated Among Top Five Performing Airports Worldwide |work=Houston Airport System |date=March 10, 2009 |access-date=March 28, 2009 |url=http://www.fly2houston.com/0/1650213/0/1906/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314202933/http://www.fly2houston.com/0/1650213/0/1906/ |archive-date=March 14, 2009}}</ref> In 2022 Hobby Airport was certified as the first 5-Star Airport in North America by Skytrax. It became the first Airport in North America to do so and just the 16th airport worldwide to receive the accomplishment.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Plaisted |first=James |date=January 7, 2022 |title=Houston William P. Hobby Airport is the first 5-Star Airport in North America |url=https://skytraxratings.com/houston-hobby-airport-becomes-the-first-5-star-airport-in-north-america |access-date=August 4, 2022 |website=Skytrax |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Houston's third municipal airport is [[Ellington Airport (Texas)|Ellington Airport]], used by the military, government (including [[NASA]]) and general aviation sectors.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Ellington Airport |work=Houston Airport System |access-date=March 28, 2009 |url=http://www.fly2houston.com/EllingtonAbout |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302010555/http://www.fly2houston.com/EllingtonAbout |archive-date=March 2, 2007}}</ref>

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