With United Airlines announcing a new nonstop route to Sydney, Australia, the growth of international travel for Houston’s Airports continues.

Travelers east of the Rockies now have a more convenient, modern United Airlines hub to choose from for trips to the coveted Australia destination — a great route for more than 70 communities across North America who will have new one stop service on United to Sydney beginning January 18, 2018.

“This latest nonstop route at George Bush Intercontinental Airport is exciting because it shows the level of commitment United Airlines has made to Houston, and because it also provides a very important global distinction,” said Houston Aviation Director Mario Diaz. “The City of Houston now boasts a level of international air service that can’t be found in any other U.S. city. In fact, the only other four cities in the world that can lay claim to that level of connectivity are Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai and Johannesburg. That’s how much progress we’ve made in connecting the people, businesses, cultures and economies of the world to Houston.”

In the past five years, international travel at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) has grown 23 percent, beginning with more than 8.7 million international passengers recorded in 2012 through the record of more than 10.7 million international passengers in 2016.

William P. Hobby (HOU), in its first full year offering international service to Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, provided service to more than 800,000 international passengers in 2016.

Combined, since 2012, when the airports provided service to more than 8.7 million international passengers, Houston’s airports saw a better than 32 percent increase in international travel numbers, culminating with a record of more than 11.5 million passengers in 2016.

Through the first six month of 2017, Bush Airport is on pace to surpass 11 million international passengers once again, while at Hobby Airport, international travel in the first six months of 2017 saw more than 437,000 international passengers — and increase of better than 15 percent. And this is before the traditional holiday travel season, which normally sees and increase in air travel overall.