The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded a $257,165 grant to support updates to the Richmond Municipal Airport’s terminal.
The funding will cover architectural and engineering design, site preparation, and environmental assessments. City officials said in a statement that the work will lay the foundation for a modernized facility aimed at improving efficiency, accessibility and passenger experience.
The dollars were allocated as a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law in November 2021 under the Biden administration, an infrastructure package that routed hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to transportation and other needs across the country. Unlike some federal grants recently called into question, Richmond officials say that so far these funds seem unaffected by national policy shifts.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Federal Aviation Administration for this investment in our community,” said Ron Oler, mayor of the City of Richmond. “This grant is a testament to the importance of the Richmond Municipal Airport as a regional asset and our commitment to enhancing its capabilities. A modern airport terminal is vital for economic development, attracting new businesses and providing improved services for our citizens.”
The Richmond airport supports over 15,000 operations every year, including business and charter flight traffic, personal and recreational aviation, occasional medical and emergency transport, and training flights. The city employs two full-time and one part-time staff members to operate and maintain it, and there are three other positions housed there related to a company providing maintenance and flight school services. Officials say the airport is a hub of regional economic activity.
But the single airport terminal building that supports that activity is having trouble keeping up. The terminal is over 80 years old, and officials say it no longer meets standards for functionality, efficiency or safety, and that maintenance costs are on the rise. Rodney Mayse, the airport’s manager, says the aviation board can’t even hold its regular meetings there any more because of accessibility limitations.
Renovating the existing structure just to bring it into code compliance, let alone support modern passenger and technology needs, would be too expensive, he said. So, the planned solution is to build a new terminal, at an estimated project cost of $2.3 million. That includes design work, engineering, site preparation, construction and interior outfitting, according to Mayse.
The city says that planning and design work is underway and that if all goes well, construction could start as early as next year and take one to two years to complete. Mayse said it’s an exciting time at the airport as his team prepares to create a more welcoming, modern experience for travelers while continuing to support the local economy.
A version of this article appeared in the August 6 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.