Virginia airports land $48M in federal funding for upgrades

by Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury
August 22, 2025

Virginia is set to receive more than $48 million in federal funding to upgrade infrastructure at 18 airports, part of a nationwide effort to modernize air travel hubs and boost local economies.

The money, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration, will fund construction projects ranging from runway rehabilitation to new hangars and improved lighting. The funding is made possible in part by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“These investments will help ensure that our airports are a safe, reliable engine of connectivity and economic growth for travelers and communities around the commonwealth,” said U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, D-Va., in a joint statement. 

“We’re going to keep doing all that we can to bring additional infrastructure investments to Virginia, and to reauthorize the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that makes many of them possible.”

The largest awards include $7.2 million for new lighting and a taxiway shift at Winchester Regional Airport, $6.8 million to reconstruct taxiways at Washington Dulles International Airport, and $5.2 million to rehabilitate the runway at Virginia Highlands Airport. 

Other major projects include $4.9 million for runway rehabilitation at Leesburg Executive Airport and $4.7 million to improve the general aviation apron at Newport News-Williamsburg Airport.

Additional funding will support taxiway shifts at Blue Ridge Airport, new hangar construction and runway extensions at Twin County Airport, and a runway extension at Richmond Executive/Chesterfield County Airport. Norfolk International Airport will see $1.6 million to reconstruct a terminal entrance road, while Accomack County Airport will receive $1.4 million for a new taxiway and lighting. 

Smaller projects include hangar development at Mountain Empire, Danville Regional, Emporia-Greensville, and Tazewell County airports; a fuel farm expansion at Hampton Roads Executive Airport; apron improvements at Richmond International Airport; a taxiway update at Suffolk Executive Airport; and rehabilitation work at Front Royal-Warren County Airport.

The announcement follows a string of federal awards directed to Virginia airports over the past year. 

Just last month, Warner and Kaine announced more than $21 million for improvements at 10 airports, including runway rehabilitation in Roanoke and updated lighting systems in Southwest Virginia. In October 2024, they rolled out nearly $57 million in federal funding for revitalization efforts. 

The pace of investment reflects a broader push to modernize Virginia’s aviation system, which includes more than 60 public-use airports ranging from major commercial hubs to small general aviation fields. Federal officials and state lawmakers alike have noted that many facilities — particularly in rural areas — require extensive upgrades to meet safety standards and accommodate future growth.

Airports are more than transit points; they are economic engines. A recent Virginia Department of Aviation study found that the state’s airport system supports more than 146,000 jobs and generates over $23 billion in economic activity annually. 

Improvements to infrastructure are expected to help sustain that impact, particularly as the state competes for tourism, business development, and federal contracts tied to military and defense sectors.

Politically, the investments highlight the dividends of the infrastructure law, a landmark $1.2 trillion piece of legislation passed with backing from Warner and Kaine. The law has funded not only airport upgrades, but also broadband expansion, highway projects, and public transit improvements across Virginia. The senators have made a point of underscoring those returns as Congress debates reauthorization.

Warner and Kaine, both members of key Senate committees, have also framed these airport investments as part of a broader commitment to ensuring rural regions don’t get left behind. While Dulles and Richmond International draw the most passenger traffic, small and regional airports often provide critical services for medevac flights, business travel, and military operations.

For Virginia travelers, most of the changes won’t be immediately visible, but the improvements are designed to set up airports for long-term growth. As Kaine and Warner put it, “These investments will help ensure that our airports are a safe, reliable engine of connectivity and economic growth.”

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