William P. Hobby Airport

William P. Hobby Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, 7 miles from downtown Houston. Hobby is Houston’s oldest commercial airport and was its primary airport until Houston Intercontinental Airport, now George Bush Intercontinental Airport, opened in 1969.

Hobby closed after the opening of Houston Intercontinental; after several years it re-opened and became a secondary airport for domestic airline service and a center for corporate and private aviation.

Houston Hobby is an operating base for Southwest Airlines, which has international and domestic flights from HOU and carries the vast majority of its passengers. Houston Hobby is the fifth largest airport in Southwest’s network as of December 2017. Southwest opened its first international terminal at Houston Hobby, and began service from Houston Hobby to Mexico and Central and South America on October 15, 2015.

The William P. Hobby Airport covers 1,304 acres (528 ha) and has four runways; however, as of February 1, 2020, one of the four runways, runway 17-35, is permanently closed. Its original art deco terminal building, the first passenger airline terminal in Houston, now houses the 1940 Air Terminal Museum.