FAA awards $73.6M to support 3 Virginia airport projects

The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded $73.6 million to support three Virginia airport terminal projects, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced Monday.

The funding was awarded through the FAA’s Airport Terminals Program, which provides grants for airport terminal improvements, airport-owned traffic control towers and on-airport rail and bus projects.

The largest share of funding, $41.8 million, will go to Washington Dulles International Airport to help build a new 14-gate concourse, Concourse E.

The concourse will connect directly to the airport’s AeroTrain system and is designed to expand capacity for both domestic and international flights.

Plans call for 435,000 square feet of space, including jetbridges to aircraft at each gate, roughly 46,000 square feet of concessions and a 40,000-square-foot airline club. The project also includes improved access for arriving international passengers.

A spokesperson said the total cost of Concourse E is currently estimated at around $900 million. Federal grants awarded through the FAA’s Airport Terminals Program now total $187.4 million for the project.

In addition to federal grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Concourse E project is receiving funding through United Airlines, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and local funding sources, according to a 2024 joint news release from United Airlines and the MWAA.

Construction began in April 2023, and the concourse is expected to open in the fall, according to a fact sheet provided by the airport.

“We’re thrilled to announce more than $73 million in federal funding to improve the safety, efficiency and accessibility of three Virginia airports,” the senators said in a statement. “The investments made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law have been critical in improving passenger experience and bringing our commonwealth’s and country’s airports into the 21st century.”

The second largest grant announced by the senators was $26 million to Manassas Regional Airport to help build a new air traffic control tower, replacing the airport’s 82-year-old facility that has reached the end of its useful life. The total project cost is $38 million, and the remainder of the funds are expected to come from the airport’s own fund or the Virginia Department of Aviation. Airport Director Juan Rivera said construction on the 125-foot tower is expected to begin in October and be complete by June 1, 2029.

“The existing tower is too small and cannot be expanded to meet the FAA requirements for security and new equipment,” Rivera said in an email. “The new tower will be able to grow with the airport. It will have a larger tower cab to accommodate additional controllers when necessary.”

The FAA also awarded $5.8 million to Richmond International Airport to help fund a new consolidated security checkpoint, part of a strategic plan to take the airport from a small hub airport FAA designation to a medium-sized one. A spokesperson said the project is estimated to cost about $253 million and will be funded through a mix of federal, state, airport and passenger facility charge revenue, as well as bonds.

Preliminary work is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, with construction starting in early 2027 and lasting about 30 months. Airport officials said the project will be completed in phases to limit disruptions, though passengers may see shifts in checkpoint locations during construction.

The current checkpoint layout, built in 2003, no longer meets demand as passenger traffic has roughly doubled. Spokesperson Troy Bell said the new design would combine separate checkpoints into one, allowing passengers to move through security more quickly and making it easier for airlines to use gates throughout the terminal.

Last week, the senators announced the FAA awarded $21 million in separate federal funding to support eight airport infrastructure projects in Virginia, including $18.4 million for Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington County.