Houston City Council approves plan for new international terminal at Bush Airport

US' Houston City Council approved (19-Jun-2014) a funding and phasing plan that lays out the path for a new international terminal building at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The new facility would replace the existing Mickey Leland International Terminal Building or terminal D and would be constructed in the same location as the existing structure. Houston Mayor Annise Parker said: "International travel is vital to both our economic health and our quality of life. We've been remarkably successful in attracting new international air service to Houston and now it's time to address the infrastructure needs at George Bush Intercontinental Airport". The memorandum of agreement (MOA) passed by Houston City Council accomplishes two key goals - secures support from United Airlines in working through the logistical phasing issues inherent with a project of this scope and size and it also enhances an existing funding mechanism used by the Houston Airport System (HAS) in securing the necessary dollars for infrastructure improvement projects. The new terminal will feature a total of 15 gates, each of them capable of accommodating wide body aircraft. In an effort to keep pace with this historic growth, the Houston Airport System has secured approval to raise the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) at both IAH and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) from USD3 to USD4.50. HAS will use the added revenue to help cover the cost of the new terminal building, which is projected to be somewhere between USD700 million and USD900 million. [more - original PR]