Houston’s airports have experienced a decline in passenger traffic this year, mirroring a broader downturn observed across Texas airports.
According to data from the Houston First Corporation, domestic travel through the city’s two major airports saw a decrease of 2.1% in March, while international travel recorded a slight dip of 0.3%.
Jim Szczesniak, the aviation director for the City of Houston, emphasized the importance of monitoring these trends.
“While there was a decline in March, it aligns with broader air travel patterns observed both across the state and nationwide,” Szczesniak stated.
Highlighting the situation, Szczesniak noted that the TSA estimated a 1% downturn in March throughput for Texas as a whole, indicating that Houston’s decline is part of a larger trend.
Hobby Airport, situated in south Houston, faced the most significant impact, with a year-over-year decline of 7.2% in passenger numbers.
In contrast, Bush Intercontinental Airport in the northern part of the city reported a nominal decrease of just 0.1%.
Other Texas airports mirror this downward trend; for instance, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport observed nearly a 5% decline in passenger traffic compared to the previous year.
The drop in travel numbers coincides with broader economic uncertainties, as passengers confront geopolitical tensions and rising tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
Concerns over immigration have also prompted travelers to reconsider their plans for international travel.
Moreover, airlines like Southwest Airlines are facing their own set of challenges, having recently eliminated their longstanding policy of allowing free checked baggage.
Bob Stein, a political science professor at Rice University, remarked on the difficulties in pinpointing the causes behind the decline in airport traffic.
“Something else is going on here and it’s just not obvious to me what it is,” Stein commented while interpreting lower passenger statistics from Houston airports.
He identified several potential contributing factors, including labor shortages, heightened concerns about aviation safety, geopolitical tensions, and pressures stemming from inflation.
Despite the recent downturn, national data indicates that air travel demand has largely recovered, with current levels exceeding those seen before the pandemic.
Statistics from the U.S. Travel Association revealed a year-over-year dip of 1.7% in air travel in the first half of April, based on TSA checkpoint inspections.
Additionally, total international visits to the United States fell by 14% from March of the previous year to March of this year.
In January, total passenger traffic at the Hobby and Bush airports reflected a slight year-over-year increase, but subsequent months of February and March recorded downturns.
Overall, however, traffic numbers for Houston showed a significant uptrend compared to 2023, suggesting variability rather than a total decline.
Stein noted that although numbers may be gradually approaching pre-pandemic levels, certain factors within the industry and specific regions are likely to encounter challenges that could lead to ongoing reductions in passenger numbers in the months to come.
“Maybe IAH and Hobby are not the hubs they used to be,” he said.
Nonetheless, Szczesniak projected a positive outlook for the summer travel season.
Despite recent declines, Houston’s airport system anticipates setting a new travel record, with projections of 19.5 million passengers expected to travel through Houston’s airports from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
This forecast represents an increase of over 250,000 passengers compared to the previous year.
Szczesniak noted, “In fact, when compared to other major cities, Houston’s performance remains relatively resilient, and we are performing better than other major hubs in terms of passenger traffic reduction.”
In 2023, Houston’s aviation officials reported a city record of 63.1 million passengers traveling through local airports.
Additionally, over 550,000 metric tons of cargo were handled in 2024, marking a decrease of 0.1% from the record set in 2022.
“While we are closely monitoring these trends, the Houston Airport System remains a vital hub for regional, national and international travel,” Szczesniak concluded.
“Our strong performance throughout 2024 and our continuous efforts to enhance infrastructure and services position us for continued success.”
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