Aug. 30—The expansion of gates and baggage claim facilities at Houston's William P. Hobby Airport took a step forward Wednesday with Houston City Council's approval of the first round of funding.
Council unanimously approved the $250 million appropriation, the first step in a $470 million project focused on Hobby's West Concourse.
The expansion, scheduled to begin early next year, aims to bring seven additional gates to the airport as well as an expanded and renovated baggage claim area and an overhead canopy along the airport's departures curb. It will also allow for restroom upgrades and create more space inside the West Concourse for restaurants and retail.
"As a global city and sought-after destination, we have excelled in attracting new air services," Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a statement. "Enhancing our Houston Hobby Airport infrastructure strengthens the backbone of our economic vitality and cultural prosperity."
AIRPORTS: Hobby Airport's $450M upgrade will add gates, increase passenger capacity and improve restrooms
The project was spurred by the growth of passenger volumes through Hobby. The airport served nearly 1.3 million passengers from January through July of this year, according to Houston Airport statistics, up 3.9% from the same period in 2022.
The growth has been spurred in large part by the expansion of Southwest Airlines. The airline operates 20 of Hobby's current 30 gates, and will operate six of the seven new gates, with the seventh being reserved for common use.
City Council approved Houston Airports' first tranche of funding for the project, $20 million for planning and design, in March 2022. The airport system expects to request authorization for another $200 million in the coming months, bringing the total cost of the expansion to $470 million, drawn from Houston Airports' enterprise funds.
Houston Airports expects the expansion to be completed in 2026 and says that, as most of the construction will take place outside of Hobby's bustling terminal, the impact to travelers should be minimal.
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