Southwest
Airlines has broken ground on the new international terminal at William P Hobby
Airport (HOU), marking the official start of construction on the $156m project.
Once
completed, the five-gate facility will accommodate regional international
flights for Southwest, with services to the Caribbean, Mexico and the northern cities of South America.
Houston
Mayor, Annise Parker, commented: “Establishing international air service at William P Hobby Airport
will benefit Houston passengers in a variety of
different ways, including increasing competition, boosting the local economy
and strengthening the ties that already exist with our friends in Latin America .
“And
perhaps the best news of all, it comes at no expense to the Houston
The
facility is Southwest’s first international terminal in its 43-year history.
A 2012
study commissioned by the Houston Airport System indicated that the terminal
will generate more than 10,000 jobs and will provide an economic impact of
$1.6bn, bringing in around one million additional passengers to Hobby Airport
The
project, fully funded by the carrier, includes a five-gate international
terminal, expansion of the existing security checkpoint and upgrades to the
Southwest check-in area.
Houston
Airport System will itself invest in a new multi-level car park and
improvements to the roadway system.
The first
international flights out of Hobby’s new terminal are expected in late 2015.
