Norfolk International outlines growth, $920M–$950M transformation and new airline coming

Mark Perryman, president and chief executive officer of Norfolk International Airport, told the Norfolk City Council during a Jan. 14 work session that the airport recorded about 4,860,000 passengers in 2024 and is pursuing additional domestic and transatlantic routes while advancing a multi‑hundred‑million dollar redevelopment program.

The airport chief framed the authority as an independent subdivision of the Commonwealth that operates largely without local tax subsidies, saying, “We own and operate the airport independent of of anyone else.” He told the council that parking and rental‑car revenue are the airport’s primary operating revenues and that airlines account for roughly 15% of operating revenue, a share he said is increasing through lease renegotiations.

Why it matters: Perryman said the authority is pursuing international service and regional partners will need to coordinate demand‑generation and incentives. He also said closing a short crosswind runway would free roughly 35 acres for redevelopment and that a major capital program will be financed primarily by the airport.

Key figures and projects

- Passenger traffic: about 4,860,000 passengers in 2024 (short of a 5,000,000 target). - Destinations: the airport serves 45 nonstop city/airport destinations (to 41 cities); Perryman said he was “shooting for 50 this year.” - Capital program: presented as roughly $920 million–$950 million (commonly rounded to $1 billion in presentations); Perryman said about 80% of that funding is expected to come from the…