US: Closed Houston airports become home base for humanitarian flights

The only flights into storm-ravaged Houston right now are carrying much-needed supplies. United, Southwest, Spirit and American Airlines each say they've airlifted supplies into or people out of the city since Hurricane Harvey hit on Friday. With those limited exceptions, Houston's two airports remained closed to passenger air travel. On Tuesday afternoon, the FAA issued flight restrictions over the greater Houston area. Those restrictions cover 1,200 square nautical miles over the city and are intended to keep airspace clear for search and rescue flights, the FAA said. Houston has two airports. Flights "are limited to humanitarian flights and first responder support for Hurricane recovery," Houston Airports said Monday. The closed airports are being used as a staging and re-fuelling area for the search and rescue aircraft currently flying about Houston. United said it would fly two 777 jets loaded with water, blankets and donated amenity kits to Houston from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Tuesday. The first plane departed with 36,000 pounds of relief supplies, the airline told CNN. American flew a 757 with supplies to Houston from Dallas late Monday, although it said the items on board were "for their team members." The plane departed Houston with employees of American and a regional airline it works with.<br/>