The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday issued Washington Manassas Airport its Part 139 Airport Operating Certificate, the last federal approval the field needed before it can host scheduled passenger airlines.
City and airport officials called it a historic step. It is not the start of commercial service.
- Officials said passenger flights are expected by the end of 2027.
- No airline has been announced.
- The commercial terminal is not open.
- Travelers cannot book a flight from Manassas today.
The certificate is the FAA’s formal authorization for an airport to serve scheduled air carriers. Officials said it is the first new Airport Operating Certificate issued to a Virginia airport in 53 years.
What Monday’s paper actually does
Issued under 14 CFR Part 139, the certificate confirms Washington Manassas Airport (HEF) meets federal safety and operating standards for scheduled passenger service. Those standards cover:
- Aircraft rescue and firefighting
- Airfield signs, lighting, and markings
- Runway safety
- Aircraft fueling safety
- Wildlife hazard management
- A safety management system
FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Daniel J. Edwards presented the certificate at a ceremony at the city-owned airport.
- “Commercial flights coming into Manassas will provide more economic growth within the community and create another commercial airport to service the Washington, D.C. area,” Edwards said.
- “As the first airport in Virginia to receive an operating certificate in 53 years, this highlights our commitment to strengthening the National Airspace System and expanding communities’ access to safe, efficient airports.”
The Part 139 decision follows the FAA’s July 30 Finding of No Significant Impact and Record of Decision on the airport’s certification and terminal redevelopment program. Officials described Monday’s certificate as the last federal milestone in that process.
It is not a building permit, an airline contract, or a published schedule.
City, airport, and Avports reaction
The City of Manassas owns and operates the airport. Avports is the city’s private partner on the commercial side, responsible for passenger facilities, the commercial terminal, parking, the ramp, and airline recruitment under a 40-year agreement approved in 2023.
Airport Director Juan Rivera said the certificate closes an 18-month certification grind and does not finish the work.
- “Achieving Part 139 certification reflects years of detailed preparation to ensure Washington Manassas Airport meets the FAA’s rigorous safety and operational requirements,” Rivera said.
- “The certification validates the work our team has done across every aspect of the airport’s operations and confirms our readiness to safely support scheduled commercial service.”
- “We’re proud to have reached this important milestone and remain focused on the operational work ahead as we prepare for commercial passengers.”
Mayor Michelle Davis called commercial service “transformative” for Manassas if it arrives as advertised.
- “Commercial passenger service has the potential to be transformative for Manassas, bringing new visitors and economic activity, creating opportunities for local businesses and giving residents a more convenient way to travel,” Davis said.
Airport Commission Chairman Roderick D. Hall credited the airport staff and said the next job is turning the certificate into actual service.
Avports CEO Marc Ricks said the company is “incredibly proud” to be the city’s partner “in building what comes next” and pitched the project as “a faster, simpler and more affordable way to fly for travelers across the region.”
After the July environmental decision, Avports vice president Andrew King said the company had already been talking with airlines and that Part 139 would let them start confirming carriers, routes, and timing. Those details were not in Monday’s release.
The date has already moved
Monday’s written line is the end of 2027. That is later than earlier public targets.
- After the 2023 Avports deal, officials talked about commercial service as early as 2025.
- Taxiway-bridge delays and a runway-bridge redesign pushed the public target to 2026, then to spring 2027.
- In December 2025, Ricks told City Council he expected first flights in April or May 2027.
- The FAA environmental finding itself landed in July 2026, later than airport officials had hoped in 2025.
Edwards said Monday a new passenger terminal is expected to open in fall 2027, with commercial operations beginning shortly after, and a replacement control tower is expected in 2029. Rivera said extra FAA funding let the airport rebuild Runway 16L/34R in one phase so the runway would not still be under construction when airline service is supposed to start.
None of that is a published airline schedule.
What still has to happen
Before anyone boards a jet at HEF, officials still need:
- A finished commercial terminal (ticketing, TSA, baggage, gates)
- At least one airline willing to publish a schedule
- Remaining state and local approvals for construction
- Airfield work already in motion, including the 16L/34R rehab, a wider parallel taxiway, and replacement taxiway bridges over Broad Run
Edwards said the FAA has put more than $46 million into the airport over the last five years. A new tower and other air-traffic upgrades are part of a separate modernization track. The existing tower is expected to remain in use until the replacement is finished in 2029.
Prior briefings — not Monday’s release — have described a thin start of about one to three scheduled flights a day, with operations rising about 10 to 12 percent from today’s roughly 110,000 annual takeoffs and landings. Officials have previously said volume could grow toward about 30 commercial flights a day over 10 years. Those figures have not been updated in the new certificate packet.
The economic pitch
The release says the airport already contributes more than $517 million to the regional economy and supports more than 2,300 jobs, before the first commercial flight. Officials said passenger service is expected to build on that by providing access for up to three million passengers.
That three-million figure is a long-range access number, not a year-one forecast. An earlier airport study used smaller totals of about $375 million and 1,300 jobs. Those should not be mixed with Monday’s numbers.
Hall told the room the field will keep serving general aviation. Washington Manassas remains Virginia’s largest GA airport, with more than 400 based aircraft. The commercial name change earlier this year left the identifier as HEF and the airfield dedication as Harry P. Davis Field.
Who was there
Edwards signed the certificate with Rivera and Davis. A City of Manassas photo also shows Rivera and Davis with Council members Theresa Coates Ellis, Tom Osina, Ashley Hutson, Sonia Vásquez Luna, and Ralph Smith.
Rivera used the ceremony to single out assistant director Jolene Berry and operations staff Richard Allabaugh and Alex Del Valle Mari, who worked the official day-and-night certification inspection last May.
Editor’s note: Carla Cox of the City of Manassas Airport Commission supplied the photos and the unedited audio recording used to produce this story. Thank you to Carla for being our eyes and ears at this event. The recording is unedited source audio from the ceremony.
