Richmond International Airport is located 7 miles away from Richmond, Virginia and two hours from Washington, D.C. The airport can also be easily accessed from Virginia Beach and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The airlines operating out of Richmond International Airport are AirTran, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, Jet Blue Airways, Northwest Airlines, Skybus, US Airways, and United Airlines. The airport consists of two levels. The lower level is for baggage claim, car rental counters, baggage services, ground transportation, and valet parking services.
The upper level is for ticketing and airline gates. The upper level contains a centrally-located atrium and is broken into two concourses, Concourse A and Concourse B. Both concourses contain departure gates and amenities for travelers. The airport offers free wireless Internet access in the upper level and has several restaurants, shops, and services to make traveling more convenient. The upper level also contains security checkpoints as passengers pass from the atrium into the separate concourse areas. Curbside check-in, valet parking, and several other parking options are all available for the convenience of visitors and passengers.
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Parking at Richmond International Airport is convenient for visitors and airline travelers. If you need to park closest to the airport, daily parking, valet parking, and hourly parking are all located closest to the airport. There are three economy lots lettered A, B, and C. Lots A and C are functional, but lot B is out of service due to a massive expansion project taking place at Richmond International Airport. All of the airport's lots and garages have handicapped parking available. Visitors and travelers may take the EasyPark shuttle service from the parking facilities to the terminal building free of charge.
Long Term Parking The economy lots are your best bet for long-term parking and are located within a maximum of one mile from the airport. Lots A and B are located on Eubank Road, across from the Doubletree Hotel and are within a ½ mile of the airport. Lot C is located south on Airport Drive and is within one mile from the terminal building. EasyPark shuttle service runs approximately every ten minutes to these lots and is free for anyone parking in the lots. The parking in these lots is $1.00 per hour or fraction thereof and $6.00 per day.
Discount Airport ParkingThe parking fees at Richmond International Airport are fairly reasonable, but there is no discounted parking available.
Handicapped ParkingEach airport parking lot and garage has a number of handicapped parking spaces available. Parking in the economy lots may be the best bet for those who are in wheelchairs or have difficulty walking since the economy lots offer free shuttle service and all of the other parking options are within walking distance of the airport and do not have shuttle service available.
Airport Hotel ParkingThe Doubletree Hotel Richmond International Airport is within ½ mile of the airport. Economy lots A and B are located directly across from the Doubletree, making it easy for traveler to park near the hotel.
Richmond International Airport (IATA: RIC, ICAO: KRIC, FAA LID: RIC) is a public airport located in Sandston, Virginia, an unincorporated community within Henrico County which is about 5 miles (8 km) east of Richmond.
Richmond International Airport is the busiest airport in central Virginia. The airport is located seven miles (11 km) southeast of Richmond, Virginia's capital.
Nine air carriers currently serve Richmond International Airport with non-stop flights to 21 destinations and connecting flights to destinations worldwide. A record 3.63 million passengers used Richmond International Airport in 2007 with growth expected to continue.
To help accommodate the current and proposed increase in passengers and air service, Richmond International Airport has embarked on a major expansion program. The program has increased the total number of gates, increased parking spaces to 8,000, and created a new terminal roadway and air traffic control tower. It features major renovations of the terminal building including upper level departures and lower level arrivals, the construction of a central utility plant and the widening of the security check points. Construction on the new two-level terminal was completed in spring 2007.
Richmond International Airport also experienced a dramatic increase in cargo activities over the past 10 years. In 2004, Richmond International Airport handled over 114 million pounds of cargo. Cargo services offered at Richmond International Airport include over 100,000 square feet (10,000 m²) of warehouse/office space and 1,000,000 square feet (100,000 m²) of apron space. The entire airport is designated a Foreign Trade Zone. Because of its central location on the Eastern Seaboard, cargo transit via RIC is on the rise. Goods shipped out of the metropolitan Richmond area can reach 50 % of the U.S. population within 24 hours.
History
The airport was dedicated as Richard Evelyn Byrd Flying Field in 1927 in honor of aviator Richard E. Byrd, brother of Governor of Virginia Harry F. Byrd. Charles Lindbergh attended the dedication ceremony. Although the facility was located in Henrico County, Richmond Mayor John Fulmer Bright was instrumental in the creation of Byrd Field, which was initially owned by the City of Richmond.
It is currently owned and operated by the Capital Region Airport Commission, a state-created governmental agency overseen by representatives of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico Counties and the City of Richmond.
[edit] Airport Statistics
In 2007, the airport served 3,634,544 passengers, which is a record number of passengers for the airport, representing a 10.3% increase over 2006 figures,[2] and lags about 80,000 passengers behind the next-busiest airport in the state, Norfolk International. This makes RIC the fourth-busiest airport in Virginia (after Washington Dulles, Washington Reagan National, and Norfolk, respectively).
In 2007, US Airways and Delta controlled nearly equal shares of the market, with 24.3% of the total each. AirTran (9.2%) and JetBlue (7.9%) both enjoyed an increase in market share compared to the previous year. Newcomer Skybus represented 1.4% of the market.
