HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Richmond International Airport has announced another round of federal funding officials said will go toward revamping its outdated customs screening area and bringing the possibility of direct international arrivals.
Amit Desai said the possibility of direct international flights to the River City is "great news"
The Richmonder knows first-hand what comes without them, like when his parents visit from India.
"I took a flight from Richmond to DC. And then from D.C., I took a rental car and got them back into Richmond," Desai explained.
Or when next week Desai flies to Singapore through New York before he comes back the same way.
"So, two extra flights for nothing," Desai said.
Airport officials said while they receive international flights in some cases, they are not regularly scheduled since their current customs screening area, located in the ground floor at the end of the B terminal, does not meet federal standards.
"It's nearly 20 years old, the process is outdated," Richmond International Airport spokesman Troy Bell explained.
Bell said that will change as work is underway to modernize it thanks to several rounds of federal funding, including the more than $660,000 announced Thursday.
"We're approaching about $4.7 million of federal funds on a project that we estimate all in would be about $7.1 [million]," Bell said.
Bell anticipates work will start by September and be finished by this time next year.
"There's more room for queuing, there's a lot more room just for passenger accommodation," Bell said.
Once the project is completed, Bell said direct international flights will become an option and they are already talking to airlines about the possibilities.
"This opens up every other city that doesn't have preclearance," Bell said. "There's only 16 foreign airports that have customs preclearance in the entire world. So outside of those 16, we need to have a facility like this to receive flights."
Bell said it is too early to say what flights could come in once the work is done. However, he said to start it will likely be the closest destinations from the south and north. Then they will expand from there, according to officials.
A portion of the roughly $2.4 million still needed for the project will come from the airport and officials are looking at funding options from the state, according to Bell.
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