Richmond International Airport’s Ideal Location and Logistical Advantages

About 115 million lbs of cargo were handled at Richmond International Airport (RIC) in 2006. RIC is served by a five all-cargo carriers including FedEx, UPS and Airborne Express/DHL. Cargo carriers serving RIC offer a number of shipping, receiving, and storing options including shipments of high-security or temperature-sensitive freight, fast international delivery, overnight and priority deliveries for businesses and individuals. For further information on RIC’s express cargo carriers, please select from the following:

Airborne Express/DHL 1-800-225-5345
FedEx 1-800-238-5355
UPS 1-800-443-6379

Richmond International Airport’s (RIC) growth is closely linked to central Virginia’s prosperity and economic future. RIC has one of the fastest growing air cargo facilities in the nation, with over one million square feet of cargo apron and 142,000 square feet of air cargo warehouse space with direct apron access. Because of its central location on the Eastern Seaboard, cargo transit via RIC makes sense. Goods shipped out of the metropolitan Richmond area can reach 50 percent of the U.S. population within 24 hours.

Complemented by central Virginia’s rail and highway systems, RIC’s cargo operations serve as an efficient transportation alternative. With increasing globalization of the world’s enterprises, both large and small, timely air cargo service has become more critical. “Just-in-time” manufacturers benefit from RIC’s geographic position in the heart of the “Golden Crescent” which stretches from Baltimore to Norfolk, allowing for timely overseas receiving and shipping.

With the availability of state-of-the-art warehouse-to-customer shipping techniques, now in use all over the world, finished goods can be shipped via RIC within hours of leaving the factory. This translates into more efficient manufacturing, lower costs, and improved expansion capabilities for area companies.

Why Richmond International Airport?
The central Virginia region possesses every attribute needed to serve as an air cargo consolidation center in the Mid-Atlantic region. A natural cargo center location, the existing north/south and east/west interstate highway system that converges in Richmond as well as major rail facilities serving the area offer a tremendous opportunity to develop a major intermodal transportation center. Existing air cargo development area and substantial land area available offering direct runway access provide the space needed to accomplish this goal.

As international trade continues to grow, the worldwide information economy grows. This means that today’s shippers are becoming much more sophisticated in their desire to have the entire supply chain effectively managed. As a result, non-asset based multi-national freight forwarders will focus their attention on intermodality, and together with integrated carriers, and/or those carriers having the vision to see the changes that are coming, will move to set up facilities where they can deconsolidate and reconsolidate shipments involving air, truck, train, and ship with actual decisions dependent on shipper requirements (timeliness and safety of shipment in addition to rates). All of this is only feasible at a few key places in the United States. Virginia, but more specifically Richmond, is highly feasible for such a cross docking program. In support of this concept, a new state of the art, 51,000 square foot air cargo warehouse was constructed and open for business in August 2000.

Foreign Trade Zone #207
In addition to existing facilities and development areas the entire Airport has been designated a Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ). Potential opportunities exist on and off the Airport for international businesses to invest, develop and/or expand current operations using FTZ benefits. For detailed information refer to FTZ #207’s website at www.FTZ207.com.

Richmond International Airport Air Support Characteristics
The current “open V” runway configuration at Richmond International Airport allows for significant additional capacity. Present annual service volume capacity is 225,000 operations. The current level of annual operations is 135,000.

Richmond International Airport is one of the most technologically advanced airports in the country. With navigation and instrument aids up to and including Category IIIB, RIC offers an all-weather base for aircraft operations.

The airport’s available capacity is significantly improved by the general good-weather operating conditions. For the past 43 years, visual flight rule (VFR) conditions have been reported 88 percent of the time.

Richmond International Airport has three asphalt-grooved runways to accommodate all aircraft. The longest runway is 9,003 feet in length by 150 feet in width. Planning and design for extending this runway to 10,400 feet is underway.