Stretching from Baltimore through DC to Richmond, the region’s economy has always depended on connections—within and beyond the region. Today, those connections increasingly run through and rely on our regional airports.

For many, our four main airports: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Richmond International Airport (RIC)–provide a first and last impression of what our region has to offer. They provide vital connections to national and international destinations, supporting business operations, attracting investment and new talent, and spurring economic activity.

As the region plans for long-term competitiveness, aviation must be centered in the conversation alongside transit, rail, roads, ports, and energy infrastructure: it is part of the connective tissue that allows the regional economy to compete and thrive.

 

Reflecting on our Regional Aviation History

Interior of Dulles Airport terminal under construction. Source: Ghosts of DC 

The region is served by a constellation of commercial airports – BWI, DCA, IAD, and RIC – that provide crucial national and international connections and that mirror the evolution of American aviation itself.  

Richmond International, the region’s earliest airport, opened as Richard E. Byrd Airport in 1927 during the early municipal airport boom following Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 non-stop solo transatlantic flight. What began as a single hangar with two runways now serves as a joint civil-military public airport with non-stop flights to 26 destinations.  

Following over a decade of congressional efforts to select a site for a safe and modern airport for the DC area, President Franklin D. Roosevelt selected the current site of DCA in 1938. A product of the New Deal era, Washington National officially opened in 1941 and quickly became the region’s primary gateway. 

BWI emerged after World War II as Friendship International during an era when American cities were preparing for rapid growth in commercial aviation, suburban expansion, and a more mobile middle class. The airport broke ground in 1947 and was dedicated by President Harry S. Truman in 1950, who framed it as a symbol of national “growth and confidence” after the war. BWI is also a symbol of the rise of the Baltimore-Washington region as an interconnected metropolitan corridor.  

Dulles followed in the early 1960s as a purpose-built jet-age international airport, designed for the future of larger aircrafts, longer-distance trips, and metropolitan expansion. Construction began in 1958 and the airport opened and was dedicated by President John F. Kennedy in 1962. The airport’s famous terminal, designed by famed architect Eero Saarinen, captured the era’s faith in bold modern architecture and technological progress. Its location reflects the postwar development pattern of building major infrastructure on the metropolitan edge, which helped anchor the emerging Washington suburbs as part of a larger national and international transportation network.  

Today, Richmond International, Reagan National, BWI, and Dulles form a connected air travel network serving the region’s government, business, leisure, and freight needs.  

By The Numbers

 

Why Aviation Is Taking Off as a Key Transportation Issue

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Source: Tim Brown/Getty Images

Recent years have been turbulent for aviation at the national and regional levels. Record travel demand, aging aviation infrastructure, renewed federal attention to air traffic control, and high-profile safety and reliability events have launched aviation into public focus.  

Air travel has rebounded strongly since the pandemic. In 2024, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) reported a record 53.5 M passengers across Reagan National and Dulles, with Dulles setting its first passenger record since 2005; BWI logged an all-time monthly passenger record in June 2024; and Richmond International set annual passenger and cargo records in 2024 and again in 2025. This ridership growth has applied more pressure on airports, airspace, TSA, ground access, and the aviation workforce.  

Recent air traffic control challenges have propelled aviation into the spotlight at the regional and national level. Following operational disruptions at Newark Airport caused by air traffic controller shortages, equipment outages, and aging technology, USDOT launched efforts to upgrade antiquated air traffic control technology and address staffing shortages. In our region, the January 2025 midair collision near Reagan National was a tragic reminder of our uniquely complex airspace that must balance commercial flights, military operations, emergency services, and federal air travel needs.  

At the federal level, renewed attention to Dulles has added momentum to the regional aviation conversation. In late 2025, USDOT began exploring proposals to revitalize the airport with new and rebuilt terminals and concourses, underscoring the airport’s strategic role as the capital region’s primary long-haul international gateway. 

 

Economic Importance & Impact

Airports as major job creators and economic engines  

Airports are among the region’s most important economic engines, supporting jobs across all industries. BWI reports $11.3 billion in annual economic impact and 107,066 jobs linked to airport operations, while MWAA’s most recent economic impact study found that Reagan National and Dulles together supported more than 187,000 jobs and contributed $23.6 billion to the National Capital Region economy. In the Richmond region, airport-related activity at RIC supports more than 14,000 jobs and generates approximately $2.4 billion in annual economic impact.123 

Airports connect the region to national and global markets  

The region’s airports also function as gateways to national and global markets, serving different but complementary roles. In addition to Dulles serving as the region’s primary long-haul international gateway, Reagan National provides close-in domestic access to the federal core; BWI provides broad domestic and lower-cost service for the Baltimore–Washington market; and RIC connects Virginia’s capital region to national hubs and a growing set of non-stop destinations. In 2024, Dulles reached 27.3 million passengers and set a new international traffic record of 10.4 million international passengers. By the end of 2024, Dulles had 43 airlines serving 138 destinations, while Reagan National had eight airlines serving 97 destinations.4 

Airports support tourism and major institutions  

Airports are also essential to the region’s visitor economy. Tourists, convention attendees, students, families, researchers, medical visitors, and government travelers all rely on the airport system to access the region’s major institutions. In DC, more than 27 million people visited in 2024, generating $11.4 billion in spending, $2.3 billion in tax revenue, and supporting 111,500 jobs. Destination DC also notes that international visitors represented only 8 percent of visitation, but 27 percent of spending, underscoring why global air access matters.5 

For a region anchored by world-class museums and universities, federal institutions, medical centers, and sports and entertainment venues, airports are more than gateways for domestic and international travelers. They are a primary means of connecting people to the region’s economic, cultural, educational, and civic assets. 

Airports are freight and logistics assets, not just passenger facilities  

Air cargo is critical for moving high-value, time-sensitive, and temperature-sensitive goods, including medical devices, aerospace components, and advanced manufacturing inputs. In this region, Dulles handles more than 300,000 tons of cargo annually and connects to more than 140 destinations, while BWI moved roughly 283,500 million metric tons of cargo and RIC handled 101,151 million metric tons in 2025, setting a cargo record for the third year in a row. Together, these facilities support supply chains, international trade, and business operations across the corridor, reinforcing that airports are core economic infrastructure as well as gateways for passengers. 

 

Current Opportunities and Updates Across the Regional Aviation Network

Across the region, airports are investing to meet rising demand, improve reliability, modernize the passenger experience, and strengthen the region’s economic competitiveness. Together, these updates point to a shared regional priority: ensuring that aviation infrastructure keeps pace with growing population, business travel, and global connectivity. 

BWI Modernization to Support Continued Growth 

A rendering of the market area planned as part of the BWI A/B connector project. Source: BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport 

BWI recently completed the largest capital project ever undertaken at the airport, the new Concourse A/B Connector and Baggage Handling System. This $520 million investment creates a direct connection between Concourses A and B, adds new and renovated terminal space, expands holding rooms, upgrades restrooms, introduces new concessions, and installs a modern in-line baggage system for Southwest Airlines, BWI’s largest carrier. Together, these improvements are designed to support continued passenger growth while improving operational efficiency and the customer experience.6 

Washington Dulles Expansion and Customer Experience Improvements  

A rendering of Dulles’ new Concourse E. Source: Dulles International Airport 

Washington Dulles is in a major growth and modernization period, anchored by the new Concourse E, a 400,000-plus-square-foot facility that will add 14 new gates for United Airlines. The project will expand gate capacity, improve passenger amenities, and help the airport accommodate rising domestic and international demand.7  

Dulles is also advancing a broader master planning vision that calls for replacing aging Concourses C and D, extending the AeroTrain to all concourses, improving customer circulation, and exploring mixed-use and entertainment districts around the airport. More recently, that vision appears to be accelerating: MWAA is reportedly considering a proposed $22 billion revitalization plan developed in conjunction with USDOT that would expand the main terminal, redesign concourses and eliminate Dulles’ mobile lounges (also known as people movers), with a target completion of 2034.8  

Reagan National Access, Capacity, Safety, and Customer Experience  

CC2DCA rendering. Source: National Landing BID and Dariush Watercolors

At Reagan National, officials are prioritizing improvements to enhance safety, access, and the customer experience within one of the most constrained airport environments in the country. Projects like the Crystal City to Reagan National Airport multimodal connection (CC2DCA) will improve multimodal access to the airport, while broader discussions around slot and perimeter rules, capacity constraints, and airspace safety continue to shape the airport’s future. For DCA, the priority is not boundless growth, but improving reliability, safety, and access within operational and geographic realities. 

Richmond International Airport Prepares for the Next Phase of Growth

Rendering of new security checkpoint planned for RIC. Source: Richmond Airport 

Richmond International Airport is planning for continued passenger growth through a major expansion of its security checkpoint and mezzanine area. The roughly $250 million project would consolidate and expand screening capacity, improve passenger flow, and prepare the airport for decades of future demand. These improvements also support RIC’s broader efforts to attract more non-stop routes and eventually strengthen international service opportunities, positioning the airport as a more competitive gateway for Virginia’s capital region.9  

Washington Manassas Regional Airport as a New Commercial-Service Opportunity 

Early rendering of what Manassas Regional Airport terminal could look like after expansion for commercial passenger service. Source: InsideNova 

Washington Manassas Regional Airport (Manassas) is poised to become the region’s newest commercial-service airport, with scheduled passenger service expected to begin in 2027. Long known as a general aviation airport10, Manassas is moving toward commercial operations through a public-private partnership intended to create new travel options for Northern Virginia and the broader Washington market. If successful, the airport could improve regional connectivity, attract new or low-cost carriers, and provide additional capacity to the region.11 

 

Regional Opportunities for Aviation Growth

As the region makes significant investments in its aviation infrastructure, there are opportunities to capitalize on those investments to realize a fully connected and optimized transportation network. Beyond individual airport projects, the region has several shared opportunities to strengthen its aviation network as a regional economic asset. 

 

Conclusion

As our region grows more connected, competitive, and globally engaged, aviation will remain essential to how people, goods, and ideas move across the corridor and beyond. From modernizing terminals to expanding access and strengthening cargo networks, the choices made today will shape the region’s economic trajectory for decades to come. The future of regional mobility is not just on our roads and rails, but also in our skies.