George Bush Intercontinental Airport has opened an operational center that combines critical players to provide day-to-day management as well as full-scale emergency response capabilities.
The US Transportation Security Administration, Houston Police Department, maintenance dispatch and terminal operations are all working side-by-side, viewing the same information, in the same room, in the new Integrated Coordination Center (ICC).
“By bringing everyone under one roof, we’ve torn down the silos,” said Stephen Mamo, senior division manager of the recently completed Integrated Coordination Center (ICC) and Emergency Operations Center at Bush Airport for Houston Airports. “We’re streamlining communication, making collaborative decisions and improving our ability to respond — in real time — to whatever the day brings.”
The ICC has been five years in the making. Houston Airports studied best practices from across the country and added features explicitly designed for Houston’s needs. The center is equipped to deal with situations such as major diversions and stranded aircraft, hurricane mitigation and response measures, and the security of a record-breaking number of passengers when Houston co-hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
“The ICC feels more like mission control than an airport office, and in many ways, it is,” airport operator Houston Airports said in a statement. The ICC aims to make the passenger’s journey feel seamless, whether that is keeping restrooms operational, securing the airfield perimeter or rerouting travelers when weather disrupts a flight.