Harvey flooding causes airport closures; flight cancellations to continue for days

August 28, 2017 - As Tropical Storm Harvey continues to batter Texas and swamp the Houston area with massive flooding, two major airports in the region announced they have stopped commercial flights until further notice. 

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Hobby Airport in Houston remain closed as heavy rain and flooding persist.

United Airlines says flights to and from its hub at IAH are canceled until at least noon on Thursday, Aug. 31, while additional flights to and from Texas and the Gulf Coast may also be affected.

By Thursday, the airline will have canceled more than 2,000 flights from Houston, CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave reports. United usually operates about 480 flights there a day. 
Van Cleave reports that last night United flew in a Boeing 777 to bring in supplies and staff and then flew 300 stranded passengers out to Chicago. The airliner says a second relief flight was planned for Monday to bring in more supplies and staff.

Monday afternoon, IAH clarified its earlier information about flights in and out of the airport saying that flights are limited to humanitarian flights and first responder support.

American Airlines said it had canceled a total of 90 mainline/regional flights Monday due to Tropical Storm Harvey. American noted that its largest hub, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), is not impacted by Harvey.

Earlier Monday, Corpus Christi International Airport in south Texas resumed commercial air service, The Associated Press reported.

The Port of Houston also remains closed until further notice.

BDP International continues to make the safety of our employees our top priority, and therefore the BDP Houston office and warehouse will remain closed tomorrow, August 29, 2017. Employees with the ability to do so will work remotely to ensure minimal impact to our customers, and all calls to the Houston office will be re-routed to BDP headquarters in Philadelphia for handling. Managers in the Houston area remain on call for any required assistance. BDP will continue to keep customers apprised of any new developments.

Sources: CBS News, BDP International