Houston Hobby Airport Statistics

Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) is the city’s secondary commercial airport and one of the most heavily single-carrier-dominated airports in the United States. It serves as a key hub for both domestic and international leisure travel.

Houston Hobby Airport handles over 14 million passengers annually, showing strong recovery from the pandemic and setting new records in recent years.

• HOU processed 13.94 million passengers in 2025, representing a decrease of 4.6% from 14.61 million in 2024.
• The airport reached 14.46 million passengers in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic caused severe disruption.
• Passenger traffic dropped by 55.2% to 6.48 million in 2020, one of the steepest declines in the airport’s history.
• Recovery gained momentum, with 11.31 million passengers in 2021, 13.11 million in 2022 and 13.91 million in 2023.

Houston Hobby Airport records nearly 200,000 aircraft operations annually, with activity closely following passenger volume trends.

• HOU recorded 196,253 operations in 2025, a 2.9% decrease from 202,037 operations in 2024.
• The airport reached 204,703 operations in 2019.
• Operations fell sharply to 137,236 in 2020, a 33% drop.
• Recovery progressed with 178,607 operations in 2021, 189,979 in 2022 and 197,933 in 2023.

Southwest Airlines maintains a dominant position at Houston Hobby Airport, operating over 90% of all commercial flights. This creates one of the most concentrated airline markets in the U.S.

• Southwest Airlines carried approximately 13.19 million passengers in 2025, accounting for 94.6% of total traffic.
• Delta Air Lines ranked second with 339,224 passengers (2.4% market share), primarily serving its Atlanta hub.
• American Airlines carried 254,507 passengers (1.8%) on routes to Dallas/Fort Worth.
• Ultra-low-cost carriers Allegiant Air and Avelo Airlines held 0.6% and 0.2% market share respectively.

• The airport serves over 60 destinations through its domestic and international network.
• Domestic routes connect HOU to major cities across the U.S., especially in the South, West and Midwest.
• International routes focus on leisure destinations in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, with about 15-20 regular destinations.
• Seasonal charter or temporary routes may be added during peak travel periods.

• Cancún, Mexico (CUN), with 224,630 passengers, was the most popular international destination from Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) in YTD September 2025.
• San José del Cabo, Mexico (SJD) and San José, Costa Rica (SJO) follow with 128,851 and 82,080 passengers, respectively.
• Liberia, Costa Rica (70,369) and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (69,632) completed the top five international destinations.

• On‑time departures (domestic flights): 75% in 2024, down from 78% in 2023.
• On‑time arrivals: 78% in 2024; down from 80% in 2023.
• Cancellations: 1.22% of flights in 2024, up from 0.76%.
• Average delays: departures 58.12 minutes (48.10 minutes in 2023); arrivals 57.69 minutes (51.12 minutes in 2023).

Houston Hobby Airport generates substantial annual revenue through a combination of aeronautical and non-aeronautical sources, though exact figures are consolidated with other Houston Airport System facilities.

• Fiscal year 2025 recorded $139.4 million in total operating revenue, building on the $133.4 million generated in 2024.
• This recent growth follows a longer-term trajectory that began with $105.4 million in 2019, before declining to $96.4 million in 2020.
• Revenue dropped further to $70.5 million in 2021, marking the lowest point in the period.
• A strong recovery then took hold, with revenue rising to $108.9 million in 2022 and continuing upward to $128.9 million in 2023.

• May 12, 2000: Beechcraft Baron 55 crashed after takeoff; gust-lock pin left in place, pilot suffered heart attack. 6 fatalities.
• Nov 22, 2004: Gulfstream III hit a light pole on approach. 3 fatalities.
• Nov 5, 2005: Cessna 500 Citation I stalled after takeoff. 2 fatalities.
• Jun 9, 2016: Cirrus SR20 stalled during go-around, crashed into parking lot. 3 fatalities.
• May 6, 2022: Cessna 421C lost power after takeoff, landed in the neighborhood. No injuries.
• Oct 24, 2023: Hawker 850XP took off without clearance, clipped by Cessna Mustang. Both landed. No injuries.
• May 3, 2024: Embraer ERJ-145 (JSX Flight 284) had gear collapse on landing. Substantial damage, 1 minor injury.