Houston Airport System plans major expansion for Hobby Airport

HOUSTON - Hobby Airport is getting bigger. With more than 5.5 million post-pandemic passengers last year and about 12,000 flights a month, Hobby is not busiest in the country, but it's growing and the Houston Airport System wants to stay ahead of the curve with a $450 million expansion.

On a typical Friday afternoon, passengers are able to make their way through ticketing and on the way to their destinations pretty easily. Projection, though, suggest more is on the way. The expansion would add seven gates, to the airports existing 30, and the west concourse where international gates were added in 2015. 

SUGGESTED: Floating border wall arrives at Texas-Mexico border

Southwest Airlines would operate six of those new gates. In a statement, the carrier tells FOX 26, in part, "While we are still finalizing the terms and business agreement, we’re glad to underscore this is the direction we are heading for Hobby."

The project would also enhance the airport's baggage handling system, to upgrade existing capacity and add more, as the facility broadens its reach across the country and Latin America. 

The Houston Airport System says, "The inspiration for continued expansion are our passengers who are demanding more flights out of Hobby Airport."

Passengers seem widely supportive.

"I just flew in for the National Federation for the Blind convention, and one of the things that was a challenge was getting bags," says Dr. Keith Newton, "Knowing that they're going to put an expansion in, should make it a lot easier for travelers."

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 HOUSTON APP BY CLICKING HERE

Daphne Endress was traveling with her teenage daughter, "We fly Southwest out of Hobby, quite often, and anything to make things easier is great."

And from Shira Tzul, who was seeing Hobby for the first time, "Houston is a big place. There's a lot of people moving here, so if they make it bigger, it might be better."

The project will be paid for be the airport system's enterprise fund, which is money generated by airport business, and not taxpayer money. 

Construction is expected to begin in early 2024, and complete in 2026.