51
AirportImprovement.com      October 2026
OPERATIONS 
IAH
Director Jim 
Szczesniak. “When 
we wanted to 
collaborate, we had 
to make phone calls; 
we couldn’t address 
everyone in one room. 
We knew the airport 
was too big to be 
decentralized the way it was.” 
Early in 2023, Morganti Texas won 
the construction contract to build out 
approximately 9,300 square feet of space 
for the new facility. The project scope also 
included integrating many technology 
elements: a video walls, a radio console 
system, video surveillance equipment, 
data-communications components, and 
improvements to fiber-optic cabling and 
the uninterruptible power supply system. 
Previously, the Airport Operations 
Center was in Terminal A while Gate 
Control was in Terminal D. Uniting these 
two functions was particularly important. 
Terminal A could not accommodate an 
expansion, so Houston Airports opted to 
build the new ICC at the Houston Airport 
System General Services Facility, which is 
five minutes from the terminal complex by 
car via a dedicated road. 
“By bringing everyone under one 
roof, we’ve torn down the silos,” 
explains Stephen Mamo, senior division 
manager of the ICC and Emergency 
Operations Center. “We’re streamlining 
communication, making collaborative 
decisions and improving our ability to 
respond—in real time—to whatever 
the day brings” for improved situational 
awareness and collaboration for reduced 
response time.
The ICC spans two floors, with the 
Emergency Operations Center and 
an attached media room for press 
conferences on the first floor; and the 
Airport Operations Center on the floor 
directly above. TSA operates a separate 
room nearby for regulatory reasons. 
“At the airport, there are two 
emergencies to address: the actual 
incident and everything else it affects,” 
says Szczesniak. “The technology we use 
upstairs can be used downstairs as well, 
so senior leadership can work together on 
an emergency while keeping the pulse on 
normal operations at the airport.” 
In  the event of a major diversion, 
Gate Control can work directly with 
airline partners to execute solutions 
quickly. If a restroom is inoperable, 
Operations can coordinate across the 
board to dispatch staff to respond. 
When weather disrupts the schedule, 
passengers don’t see the brisk activity 
happening behind the scenes. 
Denise Yee, 
an associate 
architect with 
RDLR Architects, 
says moving key 
departments to a 
single off-terminal 
location drastically 
improves efficiency. 
“With all the construction happening 
in the terminal and passenger traffic 
constantly increasing, emergency 
teams would have to navigate traffic 
on the airport roads in the past,” 
Yee points out. “The ICC pulls these 
departments out of the terminals, giving 
them a faster response time and better 
coordination efforts.”
Tech Heavy
An interactive digital wall is key to the 
ICC’s effectiveness. Visible, real-time 
information about the terminals and airfield 
allows anyone in the center to see instant 
updates. When employees arrive for their 
shifts, the airport’s status throughout 
the campus is apparent, so less time is 
required to brief incoming personnel. Data 
from Houston’s other commercial airport, 
William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), can also 
be displayed as needed.
Efficiency was taken a step further 
with a color-coding system for the 18 
workstations. Each controller can change 
the color of a lighted panel behind their 
computer monitor to visually indicate the 
current status of their work. Red is for 
a serious active situation that disrupts 
airport operations; and green issues an 
“all clear” message when that situation is 
resolved. White signals the workstation 
is available and blue means someone 
is logged into the workstation but has 
stepped away from the desk. 
DENISE YEE
JIM SZCZESNIAK
651-365-0700 
www.gksys.com



			
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Minnesota
ACCESS 
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