With its strategic location in the middle of the eastern seaboard, Henrico has long been a logistics hub. Our locale boasts unbeatable proximity to Richmond Marine Terminal, a facility of the Port of Virginia – the third largest container port on the East Coast. We stand at the crossroads of interstates 95 and 64, major north-south and east-west U.S. highway corridors. Henrico also offers easy access to three Class-I rail providers – CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Buckingham Branch Railroad.
And then, there’s Richmond International Airport (RIC). Located in eastern Henrico, the airport has been serving as the gateway to Virginia’s Capital Region since 1927. Just before the pandemic hit, it was recognized as the 13th fastest-growing airport in the country. And today – at a time when quick connections can make or break business deals – RIC is extending its nonstop route options, facilitating even more robust transportation networks for business owners looking to extend their national reach.
Moving People, Business and Commerce
RIC’s new, year-round nonstop route options include Chicago (Midway), Denver, Charleston, New Orleans, and Tampa. To accommodate the flow of demand, JetBlue has said that its current nonstop transcontinental flights from RIC to Los Angeles will be available during the summer season, while the airline will offer nonstop travel to Tampa during the winter months.
Three of the expanded routes (Charleston, New Orleans and Tampa) are due to the airport’s welcoming of the new startup airline, Breeze Airways. It’s the “Seriously Nice” U.S. carrier and brainchild of David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue. With its low-cost, high-flex options like no change or cancellation fees, travel will become more accessible to even more people in our region. RIC was one of only 16 domestic locations chosen to join Breeze’s inaugural network, a partnership which officially took off July 8.
Excitement Mounts
Business leaders are thrilled about what these new flight options mean for the growth of their companies. Among them is Stanton McComb, President, McKesson Medical-Surgical, an affiliate of McKesson Corporation, the healthcare supply chain management global leader.
“These new routes out of Richmond will certainly help our business and team better connect with our national operations,” said McComb. “For example, some of these new routes will help our Richmond teammates engage with our COVID-19 vaccine operations located south of Chicago and our two, brand-new facilities in Chicago and Denver.”
-Stanton McComb, President, McKesson Medical-Surgical
Stanton McComb
President, McKesson Medical-Surgical
“These new routes out of Richmond will certainly help our business and team better connect with our national operations,” said McComb. “For example, some of these new routes will help our Richmond teammates engage with our COVID-19 vaccine operations located south of Chicago and our two, brand-new facilities in Chicago and Denver.”
-Stanton McComb, President, McKesson Medical-Surgical
For their part, RIC is eager to keep up the momentum, with RIC President and CEO Perry Miller saying, “RIC will continue to pursue nonstop opportunities, working with local stakeholders to help new routes to become self-sustaining as quickly as possible.”
And bear in mind flights go in both directions. New accessibility to Henrico from hot markets opens up a world of possibilities for industry leaders. And with our vast assortment of top-notch hotels – including AAA Four-Diamond Westin hotel and conference center – guests, colleagues, and business partners will never lack for a premier place to stay.
Logistics Take Off
RIC is not just boosting air travel. Air cargo is also getting a serious lift. Businesses are increasingly taking advantage of the airport’s status as a Foreign Trade Zone, which allows companies to avoid customs duties and government excise taxes, as well as state, local, and inventory tax.
Today, the airport is entering into a period of historic growth. Formerly, RIC averaged 140M pounds of air cargo annually. Throughout the pandemic, the airport emerged as a trusted source for the seamless transport of essential supplies. And add to this the rise of ecommerce in our area, facilitated in part by Amazon Air, which launched gateway operations at RIC just last year. Perry shared that for FY21, RIC expects to announce about 180M pounds of air cargo – a new record.
But this may be only the beginning of creating historic moments in air cargo. Earlier this year came the announcement that tech giant Amazon is establishing a new, state-of-the-art robotics fulfillment center in Henrico, thanks in large part to our transportation and logistics infrastructure and unsurpassed global connectivity. With so many companies looking for ways to improve supply chain efficiencies in this new era of business, RIC may become an even more indispensable tool in their arsenal.
Nowhere to Go But Up
2020 was undoubtedly a trying year for practically every industry, especially travel and tourism, but passenger traffic recovery at RIC has been picking up momentum since this March and is gaining steam. In fact, Perry says that the airport anticipates summer passenger traffic to be at least 70% recovered from the record 2019 season. As businesses across every industry continue to make their comeback, there has perhaps been no better time to establish your footprint in Henrico and give your rebound a boost via RIC.