Meg Lonero was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, posthumously joining the Class of 2026 during a ceremony held April 10 at the Lone Star Flight Museum.
Her induction recognizes more than 20 years as an airport executive and pilot with the Houston Airport System, including her role in modernizing William P. Hobby Airport and other facilities.
Her son, retired Southwest Airlines pilot Larry Loreno, accepted the Class of 2026 medal and a letter of commendation on her behalf.
Career history
Meg Lonero began her aviation career in the 1970s as a founding partner of Clear Lake Aviation before joining the Houston Airport System, where she worked for more than two decades across Hobby Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Ellington Airport, according to the museum’s website.
Her entry into airport operations came through a chance conversation with an employee at Hobby Airport, Larry Lonero said.
“We were standing together at the gate when she struck up a conversation with a guy covered in badges, carrying a radio … and he told her they had openings and would love someone with her background,” he said.
The context
Meg Lonero became manager at Hobby Airport in 1998, where she led a $227 million modernization program focused on infrastructure and capacity.
“She knew Hobby was an underutilized and underappreciated asset,” Larry Lonero said. “Runways, lighting, instrument approaches—all of it needed to be modernized.”
The project included runway and taxiway upgrades, improved landing systems and a new central concourse, according to the museum’s website.
“Prior to all that being done, if it got foggy, nobody could get in or out of Houston,” he said.
Meg Lonero worked to preserve the airport’s 1940 Art Deco terminal during the facility’s expansion in the early 2000s.
“When you walk through the front doors, the original 1940s building is still there inside the new terminal,” he said. “She wanted to maintain that.”
Meg Lonero also served as manager at Ellington Field and assistant manager at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, including during Ellington’s transition from military to civilian use.
The big picture
Meg Lonero retired in 2005 and received the Bessie Coleman Woman of the Year Award in 2006 for mentorship of aviation students, according to the museum’s website.
“She would have been proud, but very humble. She would have given credit to everybody but herself,” Larry Lonero said.
Larry Lonero said her impact remains visible across the system, particularly at Hobby Airport.
“My mom was one of the main people in a generation to transform Houston’s airport system to the next generation,” he said. “It’s really meaningful to our family to have a place where her accomplishments and in her memory will be enshrined.”