(The Center Square) – Virginia airports are receiving more than $21 million in federal funding for runway repairs, taxiway rehabilitation and safety improvements as passenger traffic climbs across the commonwealth.
Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both D-Va., announced the funding at a press briefing this month, detailing grants for 10 airports through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Infrastructure Grant program under the infrastructure law.
The funding includes $6 million for taxiway reconstruction at Newport News-Williamsburg International, $5.9 million for runway and taxiway rehabilitation at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional, and $4 million for an Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting station at Richmond International.
Additional grants include $1.7 million for security upgrades at Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, $1.2 million for runway work at Lynchburg Regional, and smaller amounts for projects in Orange, Halifax, Dinwiddie, New Kent and Tazewell counties, as well as statewide airport system planning.
“This investment is a major win for Virginia’s travelers and communities and will help to ensure our airports are safer, more efficient, and ready to meet growing demand in the years to come,” the senators said in a joint statement.
The grants are part of the FAA’s Airport Infrastructure Grant program under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which has allocated more than $305 million for Virginia airports since 2022, with $124 million announced for fiscal year 2025 projects, according to the agency.
Passenger traffic has been rising at airports across Virginia, according to federal data and airport reports.
Richmond International set a record with 4.9 million passengers in 2024, a 2.7% increase from the previous year.
Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional recorded 385,000 departing passengers in the year through March, while Norfolk International saw nearly 2.5 million departures. Lynchburg Regional reported 80,000 departures during the same period, and Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport reported 358,000 departures.
