Friday October
31, 2003
HOUSTON – Mayor Lee P. Brown was
joined today by Houston Airport System Director Rick Vacar,
Continental Airlines President Larry Kellner, Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) Deputy Administrator Robert A. Sturgell
and several government and aviation officials to celebrate the
grand opening of the new $300 million Runway 8L-26R at George
Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). “There is nothing that
says “great economic development” like an expanded airport,”
expressed Mayor Brown. “And there is probably nothing as
crucial to expanding international economic development as an
airport capable of handling growing trade and passenger
demands,” continued Brown.
The new runway is 9000 feet long and 150 feet wide with 35
feet shoulders on each side and it includes high-speed exits
to the parallel taxiway ensuring speedy flight operations.
Runway 8L-26R is IAH’s fifth runway and third parallel
Category III runway, permitting triple independent
simultaneous all-weather flight operations. It is also the
first runway at IAH to utilize LED Taxiway Edge Light
Fixtures. IAH is only one of three airports in the nation that
has the capability to land three airplanes at the same time in
the lowest visibility conditions. “This unique feature puts
IAH at a competitive advantage for attracting more domestic
and international carriers as well as flights,” emphasized HAS
Deputy Director for Marketing, Communications and Community
Affairs Luis E. Perez. “The added capacity is a major step
towards accommodating the future anticipated growth in demand
and passenger volume,” added Perez. Airport officials expect
the number of passengers to reach nearly 70 million per year
by 2022, doubling current passenger volumes.
This runway affords many other advantages. It will reduce
flight delays by facilitating quicker landings and takeoffs.
Instead of waiting to land on two runways, IAH will now have
three landing runways available, reducing airborne traffic
jams especially during bad weather. Also, aircraft ground
delays will be reduced resulting in lower total emissions. The
additional runway will increase the capacity of the per hour
arrival rate of the airport by 50 percent allowing the airport
to accommodate 96 arrival operations per hour in low
visibility conditions and 108 arrival operations per hour in
under normal visibility conditions. “The new runway together
with the installation of new lighting will ensure that Bush
Intercontinental Airport is positioned as one of the world’s
leading high capacity airports,” noted HAS Aviation Director
Rick Vacar. “IAH is now capable of handling additional air
traffic more efficiently and safely,' he added.
Eleven separate major construction projects were involved in
completing the runway, with groundbreaking on November 27,
2000. Total cost for the entire runway complex, including land
acquisition, is approximately $300 million. The FAA is funding
$180 million over 10 years. The remaining portion is funded
through General Airport Revenue Bonds. HAS uses no city
general fund taxes in its operation or expansion. Revenue
bonds finance most capital improvement projects.
Runway 8L-26R is part of the $2.9 billion expansion and
renovation plan for HAS scheduled for completion by 2005. In
2003, IAH opened the new Rental Car Facility, the George Bush
Intercontinental CargoCenter and the first phase of Terminal
E.
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