The FAA on Monday formally certified Washington Manassas Airport in northern Virginia to begin scheduled commercial air service.
FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Dan Edwards presented airport officials with a Part 139 Airport Operating Certificate during a ceremony at Terminal 1 on Monday morning. The authorization allows Manassas to restart commercial operations after years as a general aviation-only facility.
The City of Manassas has spent the last three years renovating and expanding the airport so that it can accommodate larger commercial aircraft. The airport was renamed from Manassas Regional Airport to Washington Manassas Airport earlier this year to signal its planned transformation into a hub for air travel in the broader Washington, D.C. metro area.
Washington is currently served by three major airports – Washington Dulles, Reagan National, and Baltimore/Washington. Manassas, which is located about 40 miles southwest of Washington, would be the fourth.
As of Monday, no passenger airline has officially committed to serving Manassas.
According to Edwards, Manassas will soon break ground on two key infrastructure projects – a new air traffic control tower and a modernized passenger terminal. The new terminal will open in the fall of 2027, with commercial service beginning shortly after, he said.
The new tower is expected to open in 2029.
Manassas was previously served by the now-defunct Colgan Air. The carrier terminated service at the airport in the mid-1990s.
