Norfolk International Airport history

The first permanent terminal was complete by 1940.

In 1948, Piedmont Airlines initiated flights.

In 1950, responsibility for the airport was turned over to the newly established Norfolk Port and Industrial Authority (NPIA) which could proudly call Norfolk Municipal Airport one of the finest in the nation and one of the busiest.

In 1951, the new terminal was officially dedicated.

In the 1960s, the transition from propeller driven aircraft to jets gathered full steam. As a result, in 1968, the Airport was officially recognized as the air transportation center for the entire region, and became known as Norfolk Regional Airport.

In 1974, the Airport dedicated its new, state-of-the-art terminal and additional land was secured for further expansion.

Even the name of the supervising body changed in 1988 – from Norfolk Port and Industrial Authority to Norfolk Airport Authority.

In 1991, Norfolk International completed a new concourse extension comprised of 10 additional gates, for a total of 24 gates.

One of the most powerful economic generators in the region, a recent Economic Impact Study estimates that the airport directly and indirectly generated over 17,300 jobs with a payroll of $775 million, with GDP in excess of $1.3 billion and total economic output of $2.2 billion in 2019.