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The FAA has completed an environmental review of plans to bring commercial airline service to Washington Manassas Airport with a determination that it will cause “no significant impact,” airport management firm Avports announced on July 31.
The FAA determination, in the form of a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) under the National Environmental Policy Act, marks a key step in the general aviation airport’s transition to hosting scheduled airline service. The final step will be the receipt of an Airport Operating Certificate from the agency as a Part 139 commercial airport.
Located 30 mi. west of Washington, D.C., Washington Manassas Airport (HEF) managed 110,000 aircraft movements (takeoffs and landings) in 2025, making it Virginia’s leading general aviation airport. The city-owned airport is home to 31 aviation businesses, including hybrid-electric aircraft developer Electra.aero, Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences and fixed base operators Chantilly Air and APP Jet Center.
The city and Avports negotiated a 40-year lease agreement in 2024 that gives Avports an exclusive right to operate commercial passenger service from HEF and to expand the airport’s existing terminal facility. The company has said it expects to spend $75 million to $125 million on a new terminal building.
Avports will manage the commercial terminal and recruit airlines as tenants. Plans call for eventually attaching the new terminal building to the airport’s existing 19,000-ft.² facility.
The airport has received a letter of intent from an unnamed carrier that expects to begin operations in November 2027, according to Airport Manager Juan Rivera.
With the FONSI milestone achieved, Avports said it will move to the next phase of the project by seeking required state and local approvals.
“This milestone reflects years of work between our partners at Washington Manassas Airport, the Avports team, the dedication of the FAA, and the planning, technical analysis and public engagement that shaped this project from the start,” said Avports CEO Marc Ricks.
“Washington Manassas will give travelers across the region a faster, simpler way to fly,” Ricks added. “One step remains in the FAA process: Part 139 certification. That will mark the beginning of a new era here.”
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