George Bush (IAH) Airport & Passenger Statistics 2024

Published Sep 28, 2025 · Updated Jan 22, 2026

George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an important travel point between the United States and Latin America and is the main domestic hub for United Airlines. The airport is located about 23 miles north of downtown Houston, Texas and links North America with destinations worldwide.

How many passengers pass through George Bush Intercontinental Airport each year?

Over 48 million passengers have traveled through George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in recent years.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) welcomed 48.13 million passengers in 2025, down from 2024 but still 6% above pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
IAH passenger traffic reached 48.45 million in 2024, compared to 46.19 million in 2023 and 40.98 million in 2022.
IAH was used by 45.28 million passengers in 2019 (pre-pandemic), then dropped to 18.22 million in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport annual passenger numbers by year — IAH annual passenger numbers by year

What were George Bush Intercontinental Airport's passenger numbers in 2025?

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) served approximately 48.13 million travelers in 2025

IAH handled 35.71 million domestic passengers (74%) and 12.42 million international passengers (26%) of total airport traffic in 2025.

What was the total passenger traffic at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in 2024?

George Bush Intercontinental Airport served 48.45 million passengers in 2024, consisting of 36.32 million domestic travelers (75%) and 12.13 million international travelers (25%).

How large is George Bush Intercontinental Airport?

George Bush Intercontinental Airport spans approximately 10,000 acres of land in Harris County, Texas.

Runways: 5, varying lengths, all-weather capable
Terminals: 5 (A-E) with 121 gates
Parking: 24,300 spaces
Destinations: Non-stop service to over 184 routes

What are George Bush Intercontinental Airport’s Aircraft Operation Statistics?

Over 457,000 aircraft operations (including takeoffs and landings) occur at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in recent times.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) handled 457,843 operations in 2025, up approximately 2% from 2024 and 96% of the pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
Aircraft operations totaled 447,092 movements in 2024, building on 422,003 operations recorded in 2023 and 400,965 operations in 2022.
Before the pandemic, 478,070 operations occurred at IAH in 2019. This dropped to 267,169 in 2020.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport annual aircraft operations by year — IAH total aircraft operations by year

Aircraft Operations by Type

Commercial aviation dominated IAH in 2025, with Air Carrier flights totaling 384,288 operations and Air Taxi services contributing 65,929 movements, driving 98% of all aircraft activity at Houston's main hub.
General Aviation accounted for 7,400 operations (1.6% of activity) while Military aircraft recorded 226 movements (0.05%) at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in 2025.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport Aircraft Operations Type
Year	Air Carrier	Air Taxi	General Aviation	Military	Total
2019	380,049	87,921	9,959	141	478,070
2020	206,355	54,235	6,378	201	267,169
2021	316,282	72,127	7,242	136	395,787
2022	328,987	63,447	8,378	153	400,965
2023	361,397	52,484	7,970	152	422,003
2024	381,088	57,956	7,939	109	447,092
2025	384,288	65,929	7,400	226	457,843

How much revenue does George Bush Intercontinental Airport generate each year?

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) has generated over $870 million in revenue in recent years.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) recorded $872.89 million in total revenue for fiscal year 2025 (year ending June), dipping modestly from 2024's record high while remaining 30% stronger than the 2019 level.
Revenue at George Bush Intercontinental Airport accelerated during recovery, rising from $691.52 million in fiscal year 2022 and $784.33 million in fiscal year 2023 to $880.60 million in fiscal year 2024 (12% YOY growth).
Before the pandemic, IAH produced $672.47 million in revenue during fiscal year 2019, which declined to $626.23 million in fiscal year 2020 and $589.84 million in fiscal year 2021 (year ending June) when COVID-19 restrictions severely curtailed airport activity.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport annual revenue by year — IAH total revenue by fiscal year (year ending June)

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) Revenue in 2025

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) generated $872.89 million in total revenue during fiscal year 2025 (year ending June).

Operating revenue accounted for $638.15 million (73% of total revenue) while non-operating revenue contributed $234.74 million (27%) to IAH's fiscal 2025 airport system revenue.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) Revenue in 2024

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) posted $880.60 million in total revenue for fiscal year 2024 (year ending June).

The airport's fiscal 2024 revenue split featured $595.56 million from operating activities (68%) and $285.04 million from non-operating sources (32%) across the airport system.

Busiest terminals at IAH

Terminal C was the busiest terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, handling 15.69 million passengers in 2025.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport Terminals by Passenger Volume (2025)

Terminal C: 15.69 million passengers
Terminal E: 11.63 million passengers
Terminal A: 10.26 million passengers
Terminal D: 5.66 million passengers
Terminal B: 4.90 million passengers

Top Airlines at George Bush Intercontinental Airport

United Airlines carried the most passengers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in 2025, with a 74.1% market share.

United Airlines: 74.1% (35.69 million passengers)
Spirit Airlines: 5.6% (2.69 million passengers)
American Airlines: 4.8% (2.33 million passengers)
Delta Air Lines: 4.1% (1.96 million passengers)
Frontier Airlines: 2.7% (1.32 million passengers)
VivaAerobús: 0.9% (429,168 passengers)
Other carriers: 7.7% (3.72 million passengers)

Passenger market share by airline at George Bush Intercontinental Airport — IAH market share by airline (2025)

What are the busiest routes at George Bush Intercontinental Airport?

The busiest routes at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) are led by Chicago O'Hare domestically and Mexico City internationally

Top Domestic Routes by Passengers (November 2024 - October 2025)

IAH - Chicago O'Hare (ORD): 828,710 passengers
IAH - Denver (DEN): 817,150 passengers
IAH - Los Angeles (LAX): 805,440 passengers
IAH - Atlanta (ATL): 692,470 passengers
IAH - Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): 637,110 passengers
IAH - Newark (EWR): 587,730 passengers
IAH - San Francisco (SFO): 573,510 passengers
IAH - Orlando (MCO): 555,910 passengers
IAH - New York LaGuardia (LGA): 550,720 passengers
IAH - Las Vegas (LAS): 537,710 passengers

Top International Routes by Passengers (January 2024 - December 2024)

IAH - Mexico City (MEX): 854,157 passengers
IAH - Cancún (CUN): 727,538 passengers
IAH - San Salvador (SAL): 564,855 passengers
IAH - London Heathrow (LHR): 520,122 passengers
IAH - Monterrey (MTY): 432,670 passengers
IAH - Frankfurt (FRA): 362,086 passengers
IAH - Guadalajara (GDL): 360,580 passengers
IAH - Guatemala City (GUA): 349,930 passengers
IAH - San José (SJO): 337,279 passengers
IAH - Toronto Pearson (YYZ): 325,865 passengers

Monthly trends in passenger traffic

July was the peak month at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in 2025.

July was the busiest month at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) with approximately 4.55 million passengers in 2025, followed by June with 4.35 million passengers and December with 4.32 million passengers.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport monthly passenger numbers in 2025 — IAH monthly passenger traffic (2025)

How much cargo moves through George Bush Intercontinental Airport each year?

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) handles over 550,000 metric tons of cargo in recent times.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) processed 552,588 metric tons of cargo in 2025, up 2% from 2024 and 20% higher than 2014 levels.
Cargo volumes remained strong with 541,834 metric tons in 2024, up from 523,595 metric tons in 2023.
IAH processed 518,698 metric tons of cargo in 2019 before pandemic impacts reduced volumes to 452,998 metric tons in 2020.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport annual air cargo tonnage by year — IAH cargo movement by year (metric tons)

How reliable is George Bush Intercontinental Airport?

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) achieved a 77% on-time arrival and 74% on-time departure rate in 2024.

Cancellations (2024): 2.03% of scheduled flights
Average delay for delayed flights (2024): Departure 79.66 minutes, arrival 78.12 minutes
Peak delays: Afternoon and evening hours due to thunderstorms and congestion

More Statistics

How does George Bush Intercontinental Airport rank globally?

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) ranked as the 15th busiest airport in the United States and 43rd busiest globally by passenger traffic in 2024.

Global ranking: 43rd worldwide with 48.45 million passengers
US ranking: 15th in the United States after ATL, DFW, DEN, ORD, LAX, JFK, CLT, LAS, MCO, SEA, PHX, DTW, BOS, and MSP
Cargo ranking: Among the top 20 U.S. cargo airports

George Bush Intercontinental Airport's economic impact

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) contributed over $40.6 billion in economic activity annually to the Houston region in 2024.

Employment supported: About 207,787 jobs in greater Houston
Statewide: $2.4 billion in local and state tax revenue
Cargo contribution: $13.8 billion in cargo-related output

References

Fly2Houston — IAH Newsroom: Official Statistics and Press Releases · fly2houston.com
FAA OPSNET — George Bush Intercontinental Airport Operations Data · aspm.faa.gov
BTS TranStats — IAH Route Information · transtats.bts.gov