Richmond International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in

Sandston, Virginia Sandston is a census-designated place (CDP) in Henrico County, Virginia, United States, just outside the state capital of Richmond. The population as of the 2010 Census was 7,571. It was designated a Historic District by Henrico County in ...

, United States, an unincorporated community (in

Henrico County Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico Coun ...

). The airport is about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, the capital of the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Richmond International Airport is the busiest airport in central Virginia and the third-busiest in the state behind

Washington Reagan Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, from Washington, D.C. The closest airport to the nation's capital, it is one of two airports owned by the federal government and ope ...

and Washington Dulles. 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 Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

, the commission is overseen by representatives of the counties of Chesterfield,

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, and Henrico, and the

City of Richmond The City of Richmond was a local government area about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1855 until 1994. History Richmond was incorporated as a municipality on 24 A ...

. RIC serves the

Greater Richmond Region The Greater Richmond Region, also known as the Richmond metropolitan area or Central Virginia, is a region and metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Virginia, centered on Richmond. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines the are ...

with non-stop flights to 26 destinations, served by seven air carriers. A joint civil-military public airport, RIC encompasses 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 and Punta Cana, all of which are seasonal services. In 2016, Richmond recorded its second highest yearly passenger volume, and the airport had a major expansion begun in late 2018. The number of gates increased from 22 to 28 or 30 by adding 6 or 8 gates (net) to its A Concourse. Construction commenced in late 2018 and lasted for 3 years. The expansion was completed in 2021. The airport also expanded the checkpoint area in Concourse B, from four to six TSA screening lanes. The TSA lane expansion commenced in the fall of 2018 and was completed in June 2019. 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 November 2024, the Commission announced an official plan to consolidate the TSA security checkpoints into one central location, made possible by a $2.5 million FAA grant. The number of lanes is not finalized yet, but the construction and updates is expected to begin in late 2026.

Richmond International Airport - RIC Virginia - panoramio

In 2016, Richmond International Airport handled over 63,000

ton Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. As a unit of mass, ''ton'' can mean: * the '' long ton'', which is * the ''tonne'', also called the ''metric ...

s 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 Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

JetBlue Airways JetBlue Airways Corporation, stylized as jetBlue, is an American major airline headquartered in Long Island City, in Queens, New York City. Primarily a point-to-point carrier, JetBlue's network features six focus cities including its main hub a ...

and

Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co., or simply Southwest, is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States that formerly operated on a low-cost carrier model. It is headquartered in the Love Field, Dallas, Love Field neighborhood ...

added additional routes and larger aircraft in 2017.

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

up-gauged its

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

service to a mainline aircraft, replacing the Embraer E-175 used with

United Express United Express is a regional airline network that supports United Airlines operations, primarily by serving smaller cities and connecting traffic to United's main hubs. Representing six percent of United's total capacity for 2024, United Express ...

. In 2017, the airport served 3,657,479 passengers, a record for the airport at that time, breaking its previous record of 3,634,544 in 2007. In 2023, RIC set an all-time passenger record of 4,755,889. 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 Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer, and pioneering aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics. Aircraft flights in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader cr ...

, brother of then Gov. Harry F. Byrd.

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...

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 OAG is a global travel data provider with headquarters in the UK. The company was founded in 1929 and operates in the United States, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. It has a large network of flight information data including schedules, ...

lists 43 weekday departures: 22 on

Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...

, ten on

Piedmont Airlines Piedmont Airlines, Inc. ( ) is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in Wicomico County, Maryland, near the Salisbury, Maryland, city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American ...

, five on

American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...

, four on National Airlines and two on Capital Airlines. In the mid-1970s

scheduled a daily round trip between Richmond and Los Angeles ( LAX) with a Douglas DC-8-61 via Washington–Dulles.http://www.departedflights.com, April 15, 1975 Official Airline Guide 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 737-200 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retained the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating ...

s to the airport, including nonstop flights to Washington–National in addition to Dulles. Other airlines at Richmond in 1975 included

operating

Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavier Boeing 707, 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter ...

s and

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast, single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced as the Douglas DC-9 prior to August 1967, after which point the company had merged with McDonnell A ...

s with nonstops from

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia and Raleigh/Durham; and

operating

s and

NAMC YS-11 The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (NAMC), a Japanese consortium. It was the only post-war airliner to be wholly designed and manufactured in Japan until the development of t ...

s nonstop from Charleston (WV), Chicago–O'Hare, Huntington, Lynchburg (VA),

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the fifth-most populous city in Virginia and 140th-most populous city i ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, Raleigh/Durham, Roanoke, Rocky Mount/Wilson, and Washington–National. Altair Airlines, a commuter air carrier, was serving Richmond with Beechcraft 99s nonstop from

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and Wilmington, DE. The February 15, 1985 OAG listed five airlines serving Richmond with jet aircraft including

and

USAir US Airways was a major airline in the United States. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it was renamed Allegheny Airlines an ...

.http://www.departedflights.com, Feb. 15, 1985 Official Airline Guide Delta was operating

s and

s nonstop from

; Eastern was operating

Boeing 727-100 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavier 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airp ...

s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50s nonstop from

, Charlotte,

Greensboro Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, af ...

, New York–JFK and New York–LaGuardia; Piedmont was operating Boeing 727-200s,

s and

Fokker F28 Fellowship The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a twin-engined, short-range jet airliner designed and built by Netherlands, Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. Following the Fokker F27 Friendship, an early and commercially successful turboprop-powered regional air ...

s nonstop from

, Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare,

, Kinston (NC),

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, New York–LaGuardia,

and

, United was operating

and Boeing 727-200 nonstop from

, Chicago–O'Hare and

, and USAir was operating

BAC One-Eleven The BAC One-Eleven (BAC-111, BAC 1-11) is a retired early jet airliner produced by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Conceived by Hunting Aircraft as a 30-seat jet, before its merger into BAC in 1960, it was launched as an 80-seat airl ...

s and

s nonstop from

and

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. Four commuter and regional airlines were at Richmond, including Air Virginia which was operating a hub at the airport flying Swearingen Metroliners nonstop from

, Charlottesville (VA), Lynchburg (VA), New Bern (NC),

, New York–LaGuardia, Newark,

, Raleigh/Durham, Roanoke, and Washington–National;

Delta Connection Delta Connection is a brand name under which Delta Air Lines has air service agreements with domestic regional air carriers that feed traffic to their network by serving passengers primarily in small and medium-sized cities in the domestic mark ...

operated by Comair with nonstop

Saab 340 The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft. It is designed to seat 30–36 passengers and, as of July 2018, there were 240 operational aircraft used by 34 differen ...

s and Swearingen Metroliners operated on a

code sharing A codeshare agreement, also known simply as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines publish and market the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number (the "airli ...

basis for Delta from Roanoke; Piedmont Regional Airlines operating Beechcraft 99, de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 and

Short 330 The Short 330 (also SD3-30) is a small turboprop transport aircraft produced by Short Brothers. It seats up to 30 people and was relatively inexpensive and had low maintenance costs at the time of its introduction in 1976. The 330 was based on ...

turboprops with nonstop service flown on a code sharing basis for Piedmont from

and Roanoke; and Wheeler Airlines operating Beechcraft 99 turboprops nonstop from Danville (VA), Raleigh/Durham, Washington–National 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).

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Statistics

Top domestic routes

Airline market share

Passengers

Annual traffic

Accidents and incidents

*On May 16, 1946, a

Douglas C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for troo ...

operated by Viking Air Transport crashed 6.3 miles south of Richmond-Byrd Field due to engine issues. All 27 on board were killed. *On July 19, 1951:

Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...

Flight 601 bound from Newark to

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

suffered severe buffeting after an access door opened in flight over

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and Abolitionism, abolitionist John Lynch (1740–1820), J ...

and the crew decided to divert to Richmond. A flapless wheels-up landing was made a few miles short of the runway at Curles Neck Farm because the crew feared that the aircraft would disintegrate before they could get to the airport to attempt an emergency landing. There were no fatalities. *On November 8, 1961: Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8 was destroyed when it crashed and burned following an attempted emergency landing at the airport, all 74 passengers, and three of the five crew members died. *On July 16, 1964: An

DC-7B N809D with 76 occupants bound from New York touched down short of Runway 15, suffered a right main gear collapse and slid for 4752 feet. There were no injuries, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. *On May 6, 1980, a Gates

Learjet Learjet was a manufacturer of business jets for civilian and military use based in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Founded in the late 1950s by William Powell Lear as Swiss American Aviation Corporation, it became a subsidiary of Canadian Bomba ...

23, N866JS, rolled inverted landing on Runway 33. The aircraft crashed adjacent to the runway at 03:12 and burst into flame. Both pilots were killed. *On June 9, 1996, Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 from

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

, experienced loss of rudder control while on approach to Richmond; however, control was regained shortly after, and the aircraft landed normally. There was one minor injury.

Military

Virginia Army National Guard

Richmond International Airport serves as an Aviation Support Facility for the Virginia Army National Guard 224th Aviation Regiment. The Army National Guard currently has 25 helicopters including 18 UH-60's, 3 HH-60's, and 4 UH-72's based at the facility. The facility also has 1 C-12 Huron which serves a cargo/passenger transport role.

Virginia Air National Guard

Until October 2007, the 192d Fighter Wing (192 FW), an

Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...

(ACC)-gained unit of the

Virginia Air National Guard The Virginia Air National Guard (VA ANG) is the aerial militia of the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Virginia Army National Guard an ...

, maintained an

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...

station, operating

F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...

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 Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Hampton, Virginia, adjacent to Newport News. It was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the entry of the United States into World War I in April 1 ...

(now

Joint Base Langley-Eustis A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGra ...

), to integrate with the Regular Air Force as an associate unit to the 1st Fighter Wing (1 FW) flying the

F-22 Raptor The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American twin-engine, jet-powered, all-weather, supersonic stealth fighter aircraft. As a product of the United States Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was de ...

References

External links

Richmond International Airport
official website
Richmond Times-Dispatch: RIA ExpansionStyle Weekly Architectural ReviewGresham Smith & Partners, ArchitectsopenNav: RIC / KRIC charts
* * {{authority control 1927 establishments in Virginia Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Virginia Airports in Virginia Buildings and structures in Henrico County, Virginia Transportation in Henrico County, Virginia Transportation in Richmond, Virginia Foreign trade zones of the United States Airports established in 1927

Overview

History

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Statistics

Top domestic routes

Airline market share

Passengers

Annual traffic

Accidents and incidents

Military

Virginia Army National Guard

Virginia Air National Guard

See also

References

External links