Rob Wittman and Bobby Scott are calling on the FAA to expedite approval of critical updates to Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport as part of a joint bipartisan effort to boost passenger traffic.
Passenger numbers have fallen from more than 1 million in 2012 to just 137,000 in the last fiscal year, with only one commercial carrier currently operating at the airport.
To address these challenges, the Peninsula Airport Commission’s 2024 Master Plan includes efforts to integrate advanced aviation technologies, such as unmanned systems, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and aerospace manufacturing.
“Hampton Roads as a region is rich in aviation assets with 10 civil airports, seven military-federal airports, several heliports, and over 60 aviation stakeholders,” the congressman wrote in a letter to the FAA. “Among those assets, PHF is one of the pre-eminent aviation assets in the country, and certainly on the East Coast. With 1,800 acres of land and capacity for modernization, it is a select location for strategically balancing commercial air service and supporting emerging aviation markets, unmanned flight and aerial systems and advanced air mobility research and development and manufacturing.”
“We strongly encourage the FAA to review and approve, in an expedited manner, the partial decommissioning and extension requests when the proposal is submitted by the [Peninsula Airport Commission],” the letter from the congressmen noted. “The FAA’s approval will assist PHF in increasing safety on the airfield and enabling the strategic recommendations of diversifying aviation resources and enterprise at PHF that will support existing commercial aviation and promote emerging aviation technologies and markets that will facilitate long-term growth at PHF.”
The congressmen support the commission’s vision to modernize and expand Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport, which includes:
- Revising airfield geometry and maintaining the extension of Runway 7/25
- Potentially decommissioning part of Runway 2/20 to enhance safety and efficiency
- Extending Runway 7/25 to 10,000 feet to accommodate larger aircraft and longer-distance flights
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Chris Graham
