Richmond International Airport Commission Approves a $13.4 Million Checkpoint Design and a $20.6 Million Rental Car Connector

Published November 1, 2026 | Written by the Mission Realty Team.

The Capital Region Airport Commission approved two Richmond International Airport (RIC) contracts at its Tuesday meeting: a $13.4 million design contract for a consolidated security checkpoint and a $20.6 million construction contract for a rental car connector. Both are terminal-area projects, and the reporting does not mention housing or neighborhoods. Richmond BizSense reporter Mike Platania covered the vote on Oct. 28, 2026, and this post summarizes his report in our own words.

Below: what the commission approved, the fuel planning and passenger figures that came with it, who decides these projects, and what a homeowner or buyer in eastern Henrico can reasonably check.

What the commission approved

The larger project is a consolidated security checkpoint. BizSense reports a project cost of $250 million. The new design contract, $13.4 million, goes to a team led by Gresham Smith with 3North, KEi Architects, CMTA and Kimley-Horn. That team won the design solicitation over the summer, and the commission vote formalized the agreement.

The plan combines the airport’s two existing TSA checkpoints into one with up to 14 lanes, up from eight. The space would exceed 150,000 square feet and add a second level to the main atrium, along with a lounge, concessions and administrative offices. The commission still has to award a construction contract, officials have shortlisted interested contractors, and no start date has been set.

The second project is further along. Norfolk-based Tazewell Contracting received a $20.6 million construction contract for a roughly 30,000 square foot, two-level indoor walkway between the terminal and the rental car parking garage. It will also hold rental car counters, which now sit on the terminal’s lower level. BizSense says construction is expected to begin in the next few months. (The story’s summary line rounds the contract to $20 million; the article body gives $20.6 million.)

Fuel planning and passenger numbers

The commission also created a Special Fuel Systems Committee to plan for future fuel infrastructure and fixed-base operator services. The two current operators, Richmond Jet Center and Million Air, both extended their leases to 2031. Chairman Charles Macfarlane described the committee’s work as fact-finding with no binding decisions, and it is due to report in June 2027. The airport also plans to issue a request for proposals on future fuel infrastructure.

Troy Bell, the airport’s director of air service development, gave the commission the traffic picture. About 397,000 passengers flew through RIC in September 2026, the second-busiest September on record but 1.3% below September 2025. Bell reported jet fuel rising from about $2.27 per gallon last year to $4.68 this year, which BizSense quotes him calling a “huge jump year-over-year.”

Who decides, and when

The Capital Region Airport Commission was established in 1975 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly and owns and operates RIC. Fourteen commissioners are appointed by four jurisdictions: the City of Richmond, Chesterfield County, Hanover County and Henrico County. According to the commission’s page, it meets on the last Tuesday of each month except December at 8 a.m. at the airport. On that schedule the next regular meeting would fall on Tuesday, Nov. 24.

That matters for anyone who wants to follow the checkpoint design, because the construction contract award is the next decision that would come back before the commission.

What this means for homes near the airport

The BizSense report describes terminal and fuel decisions only. It does not report runway changes, flight-path changes or new development outside the airport, so nothing in it gives a reason to re-price a house in Sandston, Highland Springs or Varina. If you live in or are shopping across Henrico County, three checks are more useful than the headline.

First, the airport’s own environmental commitment page says RIC works on reducing noise impacts, among other goals, but it gives no figures, so ask for specifics rather than assuming. Second, read how a buyer can weigh flight paths in our guide to buying near a railroad, highway or flight path, and see our roundup of neighborhoods a short drive from the airport if a quick trip to RIC is the priority. Third, for the road corridor travelers see first, our earlier post on Henrico’s Williamsburg Road property purchases covers what the county has and has not decided.

Meeting agendas and minutes are posted on the airport’s public meetings page, so a future project that touches runways or land outside the terminal would likely show up there before work starts. If you are weighing an eastern Henrico purchase, you can test a payment on our mortgage calculator, browse current homes in our property search, or read how our buyer services handle checks on nearby plans.

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