Norfolk International Airport is one of the major airports serving south-east Virginia and north-east Carolina, US. It is located eight miles north-east of downtown Norfolk.
The airport is spread over 1,300 acres and opened in 1938. It is owned by the City of Norfolk and operated by Norfolk Airport Authority.
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The airport handled 3.33 million passengers, witnessed 93,000 aircraft movements and handled approximately 2.58 billion tonnes of cargo in 2010.
Masterplan
The masterplan for the airport was updated in December 2008. It recommended improvisations to meet the transportation needs of coastal Virginia by 2024.
The capital improvement projects suggested were construction of a new parking garage, a parallel runway, expanding the existing concourses and upgrading the landing systems.
Norfolk International Airport expansion
In 2000, a $58.9m contract to build a new arrivals terminal and supporting infrastructure for Norfolk International Airport was awarded to Balfour Beatty. Architecture and design services for the terminal were provided by Shriver and Holland Associates.
The terminal project included construction of a new arrivals terminal, a pedestrian bridge and car rental and baggage areas. It was completed in June 2002.
Terminal features
Norfolk International Airport has two passenger terminals with a total space of 54,000ft². The main terminal was built in 1974 and has two airline concourses, 29 check-in desks, five baggage claim belts, 19 air bridges and 24 gates.
The new arrivals terminal, which opened on 1 July 2002, has a total space of 243,000ft². The first floor of the arrivals terminal features sophisticated baggage claim and ground transportation facilities for arriving passengers. The second level has parking offices, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) offices and a 362ft bridge that connects the arrivals terminal to departure terminal building and parking garages.
The departure terminal of the airport has two levels with concourses A and B and gates. It features ticketing counters on level one. The lobby area, airport administration offices and restaurants are situated on level two. The food, retail and beverage concessions are located in the departures terminal and the two concourses.
The airport’s retail operations are managed by Hudson News. HMS Host Corporation manages the food and beverages. Free Wi-Fi access is available in both passenger terminals. The airport also has two cargo terminals with 88,000ft² area.
Runways at Norfolk International Airport
Norfolk International Airport has two runways. The first runway (5 / 23) is 2,744m long and paved with asphalt and concrete.
The second runway designated as 14 / 32 is a crosswind runway that is 1,486m in length and paved with asphalt. This runway was closed from 2009 to mid 2011 for carrying out renovations. As part of the airport long-term plan it was decided to dismantle the runway to make way for the construction of parallel runway 5R / 23L.
ATC tower
The 134m-high air traffic control (ATC) tower at Norfolk International Airport has been operational since 1995. It handles more than 1,100 ATC operations per day.
The radar coverage is provided by an ASR-9 terminal system. The airport is equipped with IDS4 (Information Dissemination and Display System), which provides static and real-time data on weather information.
Parking and ground transportation
The nine-level covered parking garage is located near the arrivals terminal. Built in 2002, it covers 1.15 million square feet. The garage construction was completed in July 2002. The contractor for the $31m project was S B Ballard Construction Company.
The parking garage has more than 2,859 short and long-term parking spaces located in eight levels. The ground floor accommodates 315 ready-for-rental cars. The parking spaces are facilitated with round-the-clock security monitoring system.
The airport is well connected by ground transportation services. Shuttle services are provided by Carey VIP Airport Connection. The car rental companies at the airport include Dollar, Budget, Alamo, Thrifty, Hertz, Enterprise and National, which have office counters located at the arrival terminal.
