Houston is the only Texas city with two international airports and one of only a handful of such cities across the country. That’s meant big business for George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports through the years, with the two facilities and their carriers serving well over 60 international destinations in 36 countries around the world.  But the pandemic ground much of that to a halt. In January 2020, the Houston Airport System logged more than 33,000 international passengers a day. That dropped to fewer than 100 passengers a day in March and didn’t really begin to recover until late in 2020.  As a major gateway to Mexico, Houston’s airports have benefited from that country’s more lax COVID protocols that have prompted U.S. passengers to flock south of the border. As of March of this year, traffic from Houston to Mexico was up nearly 120% compared with pre-pandemic levels. However, broader long-haul traffic from Houston to destinations in Europe, East Asia and South America remains about 40% below pre-pandemic levels.  In 2021, the Houston Airport System handled 7.3 million international passengers, a major improvement from the 3.9 million who traveled through the local airports in 2020. But that was still well below the levels experienced pre-pandemic when the system handled 12 million international passengers in 2019. By March of this year, international passenger traffic was about 27% below the monthly totals in 2019 and officials expect the gap will continue to narrow in the months ahead barring a major resurgence in infections and a resumption of tighter protocols.  Anticipating continued growth, capital projects at the airports are in the works to improve the passenger experience and traffic efficiency. At Bush Intercontinental the IAH Terminal Redevelopment Program is reimagining parts of the facility, including a Terminal D renovation, construction of a new pier and a new processing facility for international departures with automated features. Parts of the redevelopment will be complete in 2023 with the remainder slated for 2024.  Over at Hobby Airport, the Houston City Council recently approved $20 million in funding that will help the airport’s largest carrier, Southwest Airlines, expand its footprint. Southwest will foot most of the $250 million cost to construct seven new gates on Hobby’s west concourse. Southwest will operate six of the gates and Hobby will be able to designate which airlines can use the seventh gate. The ambitious plan is the largest at Hobby since the completion of the international terminal in 2015. The new project is in early stages and officials say there’s no clear timeline yet for completion. Get more details on international business through Houston at a our State of Houston’s Global Economy event on May 20. You’ll also receive the Global Houston publication, which includes an analysis of international trends affecting this region and our top trade partners around the world. 

Globalization has reshaped the world of business and international cities like Houston have thrived as destinations for companies and talent from all corners of the world. Houston is an ideal location for multinational corporations because it offers well-developed and key global industries, including energy, life sciences, manufacturing, logistics and aerospace. It comes as no surprise that there are 14 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Houston with multinational operations.   Phillips 66 — No. 48 Phillips 66 is a diversified energy manufacturing and logistics company with over 14,300 employees in the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. With a portfolio of midstream, chemicals, refining, and marketing and specialties businesses, the company processes, transports, stores and markets fuels and products globally. Sysco — No. 60 Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. With more than 58,000 associates, the company serves more than 90 countries including Bahamas, Ireland, Costa Rica, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Luxembourg, Panama and Belgium. Hewlett Packard Enterprise — No. 106 Based in Spring, Texas, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is a global edge-to-cloud organization which works in servers, storage, networking, containerization software consulting and support. With a workforce that spans over 150 countries, HPE recently relocated its global headquarters from San Jose, California to the Houston region further establishing the Bayou City as a leading digital tech hub. Baker Hughes — No. 140 Operating in more than 120 countries, Baker Hughes is an international industrial service company and one of the world's largest oil field services companies specializing in oil drilling, formation evaluation, completion, production and reservoir consulting. Its headquarters are divided between Houston and the U.K., with research and manufacturing facilities in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany, Norway, Louisiana and Missouri. ConocoPhillips — No. 156 ConocoPhillips is an independent exploration and production company headquartered in Houston with operations and activities in 13 other countries. The company describes its operations as responsibly accessing, developing and producing oil and natural gas to help meet the world’s energy needs, both today and throughout the energy transition. Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) — No. 183 With 100 years of global expertise, Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) primarily conducts its ongoing exploration and production in the U.S., the Middle East, Latin America and North Africa. Committed to energy, sustainability, and essential product improvement, Oxy has developed a vast infrastructure of integrated operations to pursue carbon management worldwide. WM — No. 202 WM, formerly known as Waste Management Inc., is a comprehensive waste and environmental services company with 346 transfer stations, 293 active landfill disposal sites, 146 recycling plants, 111 beneficial-use landfill gas projects and six independent power production plants. With full operations in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, WM purchased a 40% stake in Shanghai Environment Group Co. to improve its technology for waste disposal. Halliburton — No. 211 Representing 130 nationalities in more than 70 countries, Halliburton helps its customers maximize value throughout the lifecycle of the energy reservoir. With dual headquarters in Houston and Dubai, Halliburton combines technology, services and execution expertise to assist our customers with hydrocarbons location, geological data management, drilling and formation evaluation. Quanta Services, Inc. — No. 278 Quanta Services offers world-class infrastructure services for electric power, pipeline, industrial and communications industries in North America, the Philippines and Australia. Quanta Services employs about 40,000 people with diverse backgrounds, skills and beliefs to push the boundaries of projects. EOG Resources, Inc. — No. 285 EOG Resources engages in the exploration, development, production and marketing of crude oil and natural gas in the United States, Canada, Trinidad, Tobago, China and Oman. In 2020, the company's production averaged 753,000barrels of oil per day, of which 94% was in the United States, 5% was in Trinidad and Tobago and 1% was in other countries. Cheniere Energy — No. 328 Cheniere Energy is the leading producer of liquefied natural gas providing clean, secure and affordable energy around the world, representing more than $38 billion investment in the future of energy. Headquartered in Houston, Cheniere’s footprint expands to Louisiana, south Texas, Washington, London, Singapore, Beijing and Tokyo, internationally delivering LNG. Westlake Chemical — No. 388 Westlake Chemical is an international manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and fabricated building products. With more than 14,700 employees, Westlake diversifies its operating locations across eight different countries including Germany, Japan, Italy, Taiwan and Mexico. NOV Inc. — No. 457 NOV, formerly known as National Oilwell Varco, is an internationally recognized supplier of equipment and components used in oil and gas drilling and production operations, oilfield services, and supply chain integration services. NOV conducts operations in more than 500 locations with a spread of 71 offices across six continents. KBR — No. 470 KBR, formerly Kellogg Brown & Root, is a Houston-based company operating in aerospace, defense, industrial and artificial intelligence through science, technology and engineering solutions. With more than 28,000 employees and an instrumental market segment, KBR operates from multiple independent locations in North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia.   Learn more about the Houston region’s global business environment during the Partnership’s International Business Month events and the State of Houston’s Global Economy event on May 20.