In his state of the airports address on Thursday, Jim Szczesniak, director of aviation for the Houston Airport System, talked about the recent performance of airports in the Houston area as well as possible future plans.
The Marriott Marquis Hotel is where Szczesniak made his remarks. The speech was given following the pivotal Thanksgiving weekend, when record numbers of people traveled via both the William P. Hobby Airport and the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. According to Szczesniak, one of the main takeaways from Thursday’s speech was that the Houston Airport System has been a significant source of income.
“General tax dollars are not funding the airport at all,” he stated. Bush accounts for almost $30 billion of that influence, while Hobby accounts for another $8 billion. Ellington is valued at about $2 billion. That allows us to create 200,000 jobs and $40 billion in economic activity.”
Szczesniak reports that in 2023, the system moved 534,123 metric tons of air freight via Houston, generating $13 billion in cargo-related output.
Bush Airport’s primary priorities also included terminal extensions and upgrades. In order to reduce congestion in other terminals at Bush, Szczesniak praised United Airlines’ significant relocation from Terminal E into the new International Terminal.
Additional enhancements include using electronic license plate readers to expedite parking lot admissions and exits. These scanners create a bill at the exit gate or online, which facilitates payment.
According to Szczesniak, improvements are being made to the airport’s roadway construction at the entry and exits.
“For the Christmas Holiday, the International Arrivals Terminal the temporary one that chokes up the exit of the airport that’s going to go away,” he stated. “We cleaned the airport’s entrance before Thanksgiving, and we’re going to clean the airport’s departure before Christmas. Therefore, opening that new international curb will have a significant positive impact on both traffic and consumer satisfaction.
Szczesniak’s inaugural state of the airports address also focused on the Houston-area Airport System’s forward-thinking initiatives, including plans for significant development of Houston Spaceport/Ellington Airport.
“So, we’re looking right now at a multitenant facility at the Spaceport, the big tenants are in 150-thousand square foot facilities, we’ve got some demand for smaller companies to support … so, we get that community growing by having some big fish and by having some little fish, so we help everybody in the pot.”
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