Richmond International Airport
Richmond International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in Sandston, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community (in Henrico County). The airport is about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Richmond, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Richmond International Airport is the busiest airport in central Virginia and the third-busiest in the state behind Washington D.C.'s two major airports, Washington Dulles and Washington National. RIC covers 2,500 acres (1,012 ha) of land. Overview. The Capital Region Airport Commission (CRAC) owns and operates Richmond International Airport. Established in 1975 by the Virginia General Assembly , the commission is overseen by representatives of the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico, and the City of Richmond. RIC serves the Greater Richmond Region with non-stop flights to 26 destinations, serviced by seven air carriers. A joint-civil-military public airport, RIC houses the former property of the Richmond International Airport Air National Guard Station, which was transferred to the Department of the Army in support of U.S. Army Reserves and Virginia Army National Guard Activities. In the early 2000s Richmond saw another period of extensive growth, and in 2005 it announced a complete redesign. RIC went from  a single story terminal with 12 gates to 22 gates (plus numerous non-jet bridge gates), added parking spaces (to 10,500), and created a new terminal roadway and air traffic control tower. The project features major renovations of the terminal building, including upper-level departures and lower-level arrivals, the construction of a central utility plant, and the widening of security checkpoints. Construction on the two-level terminal was completed in spring 2007, and was designed by Gresham, Smith & Partners. Due to passenger growth, Richmond reopened its international gate (B15) for flights to Cancun, Toronto, Punta Cana, all of which  are seasonal services. In 2016 Richmond recorded its second highest yearly passenger volume, and RIC plans a major expansion, starting in the fall of 2018. The number of gates will increase from 22 to 28 or 30 by adding 6 or 8 gates (net) to its A Concourse. Construction was to begin in late summer/early fall 2018 and last for 15 months. As of January 2020, the construction work was projected to be done by the summer of 2020. The airport is also planning an expansion of the checkpoint area in Concourse B, which currently has four TSA screening  lanes. This project will increase the number of lanes available to at least six. That expansion is estimated to cost $4 million and will be underway in the late summer or fall of 2018, with construction set to last for about eight months. Concourse A has three screening lanes in its checkpoint area, though that is likely to be expanded in the next few years. More construction at the airport is coming - the Capital Region Airport Commission is looking into moving the rental car counters from the central portion of the lower lobby level to an expanded north baggage  claim area. The airport also expects to add an enclosed two-level connecting walkway between the terminal and the rental car garage. The rental car garage is also set to expand. In 2016 Richmond International Airport handled over 63,000 tons of cargo, an all-time high. Cargo services include more than of warehouse/office space and of apron space. The airport is designated a Foreign Trade Zone. Because of its position on the Eastern Seaboard, cargo transit via RIC is on the rise. Goods shipped out of the metropolitan Richmond area can reach 72% of the U.S. population within 24  hours. In 2016 RIC reported its 32nd consecutive month of growth, with an estimated 345,000 travelers reported in October 2016. Several airlines serving RIC have responded to growing demand with upgraded routes and aircraft. Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines have added additional routes and larger aircraft in 2017. United Airlines up-gauged its Denver service to a mainline aircraft, replacing the Embraer E-175 used with United Express. It is the longest and most westerly flight from Richmond, surpassing American Airlines' Dallas/Fort Worth service. In 2017 the airport served 3,657,479 passengers, an all-time record for the  airport, breaking its previous record of 3,634,544 in 2007. In 2018, RIC set an all time passenger record of 4,077,763, an 11.5% increase over 2017. RIC is served by airlines flying primarily domestic routes to cities in the South, Northeast, and Midwest, and connecting flights to major hubs for international destinations. History. The airport was dedicated as Richard Evelyn Byrd Flying Field in 1927 in honor of aviator Richard E. Byrd, brother of then Gov. Harry F. Byrd. Charles Lindbergh attended the dedication ceremony. Although the facility was in Henrico County, Richmond Mayor John Fulmer Bright was instrumental in the  creation of Byrd Field, which was initially owned by the City of Richmond. It was renamed Richard E. Byrd Airport in 1950, and became Richmond International Airport in 1984. The airport's manager from 1957 to 1988 was Anthony E. Dowd, Sr. A terminal building designed by Marcellus Wright and Son was completed in 1950. It was expanded from 1968 to 1970, which included the current passenger concourses. The April 1957 Official Airline Guide lists 43 weekday departures: 22 on Eastern Air Lines, ten on Piedmont Airlines, five on American Airlines, four on National Airlines and two on Capital Airlines . In the mid 1970s United Airlines scheduled a daily round trip between Richmond and Los Angeles (LAX) with a Douglas DC-8-61 via Dulles International Airport. The DC-8-61 was most likely the largest passenger airliner ever scheduled to the airport. United was also flying Boeing 727-200s and Boeing 737-200s to the airport, including nonstop flights to Washington D.C. National Airport in addition to Dulles. Other airlines at Richmond in 1975 included Eastern Air Lines operating Boeing 727s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s with nonstops from Atlanta, New York JFK Airport, New York LaGuardia Airport and Raleigh/Durham ; and Piedmont Airlines operating Boeing 737-200s and NAMC YS-11s nonstop from Charleston, WV, Chicago O'Hare Airport, Huntington, WV, Lynchburg, VA, Newport News, Norfolk, Raleigh/Durham, Roanoke, VA, Rocky Mount/Wilson, NC, and Washington D.C. National Airport. Altair Airlines, a commuter air carrier, was serving Richmond with Beechcraft 99s nonstop from Baltimore, Philadelphia and Wilmington, DE. The February 15, 1985 OAG listed five airlines serving Richmond with jet aircraft including Delta Air Lines, Eastern, Piedmont, United and USAir. Delta was operating Boeing 737-200s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s nonstop from Atlanta, Eastern was operating Boeing 727-100s, McDonnell Douglas  DC-9-30s and DC-9-50s nonstop from Atlanta, Charlotte, Greensboro/High Point, New York JFK Airport and New York LaGuardia Airport, Piedmont was operating Boeing 727-200s, Boeing 737-200s and Fokker F28 Fellowships nonstop from Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago O'Hare Airport, Greensboro/High Point, Kinston, NC, Louisville, New York LaGuardia Airport, Norfolk and Philadelphia, United was operating Boeing 727-100 and Boeing 727-200 nonstop from Baltimore, Chicago O'Hare Airport and Norfolk, and USAir was operating BAC One-Elevens and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s nonstop from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Four commuter and regional airlines were at Richmond, including Air Virginia  which was operating a hub at the airport flying Swearingen Metroliners nonstop from Baltimore, Charlottesville, VA, Lynchburg, VA, New Bern, NC, Newport News, New York LaGuardia Airport, New York Newark Airport, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, Roanoke, VA and Washington D.C. National Airport; Delta Connection operated by Comair with nonstop Saab 340s and Swearingen Metroliners operated on a code sharing basis for Delta from Roanoke, VA; Piedmont Regional Airlines operating Beechcraft 99, de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 and Short 330 turboprops with nonstop service flown on a code sharing basis for Piedmont from Baltimore, Newport News, Norfolk and Roanoke, VA ; and Wheeler Airlines operating Beechcraft 99 turboprops nonstop from Danville, VA, Raleigh/Durham, Washington D.C. National Airport and Wilmington, DE. By 1986 Wheeler Airlines had a small hub at the airport and had added nonstop flights from Charleston, WV and Parkersburg, WV. Statistics. Airline market share. In 2017, the airport served 3,657,479 passengers, an all-time record for the airport, breaking its previous record of 3,634,544 in 2007. 2017 was also the airport's fifth consecutive year of growth and experienced a passenger traffic increase of 2.8% over passenger traffic reported in 2016. RIC is the third-busiest airport in  Virginia, after Washington Dulles and Ronald Reagan Washington. Richmond International has 75 based aircraft: 21 single-engine, 21 multi-engine, and 33 jets. Virginia Air National Guard. Until October 2007, the 192d Fighter Wing (192 FW), an Air Combat Command (ACC)-gained unit of the Virginia Air National Guard, maintained an Air National Guard station, operating F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from the airport. In late 2007, pursuant to BRAC 2005 action, the 192 FW relinquished its F-16C and F-16D aircraft and moved to Langley AFB (now Joint Base Langley-Eustis), to integrate with the Regular Air Force as an associate unit  to the 1st Fighter Wing (1 FW) flying the F-22 Raptor.