Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport is an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

eight miles north of

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...

, in

Albemarle County, Virginia Albemarle County is a United States county (United States), county located in the Piedmont region of Virginia, Piedmont region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, Virginia, Charlottes ...

, United States. It opened in 1955 and serves the Central Virginia and Shenandoah Valley region with non-stop flights to five major cities on three airlines' subsidiaries. CHO underwent major construction in summer 2006; an 800-foot runway extension began in summer 2010 and was completed in December 2012. The

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

(FAA)

National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. With the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of September 3, 1982, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was required to develop a ...

for 2021–2025 categorized it as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.

records say it had 214,395 passenger boardings (enplanements) in

calendar year A calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day, and thus consists of a whole number of days. The Gregorian calendar year, which is in use as civil calendar in ...

2021 and 262,889 in 2022. The Charlottesville Albemarle Airport Authority says there were 628,611 total passengers (enplaned and deplaned) in

fiscal year A fiscal year (also known as a financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. La ...

2017. Piedmont Airlines DC-3s arrived in 1955; the first jets were Piedmont 727s in 1967 (the runway was extended from 4661 ft to 6000 ft at about that time). As of October 2024, the airport was served by

ERJ-145 The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ 135 (37 passengers), ERJ 140 (44 passengers), and ERJ 145 (50 passen ...

, E175, CRJ-700, CRJ-900, and B717-200 aircraft.

Facilities

The airport covers 710

acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

s (287 ha) at an elevation of 640 feet (195 m). Its single runway, 3/21, is long. The airport has a terminal with on-site rental cars (Enterprise, Avis, Budget, Hertz, & National) and other ground transportation. Food Service is available through Tailwind Concessions under the brands Turbo Grill, Radar Bar, and Copilot Coffee. There is a gift shop selling grab and go food and local gifts on the second level at Gate 5.

General aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

facilities include an executive terminal offering a full-service by the

fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down, and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction ...

Signature Flight Support Signature Aviation is a multinational aviation services company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company was founded as ''W. Wilson Cobbett Ltd'' in 1879 and subsequently specialised in the manufacture of industrial supplies, particularl ...

, flight schools, emergency medical transportation provided by the UVA Hospital's ''Pegasus'' service and aircraft charter firms. In 2019 the airport opened "The Founder's Lounge", which is a quiet lounge area at gate 5. Access is available to anyone who purchases a day pass for a nominal fee. It features comfortable seating, conference room, tables, and décor from local artists and craftsman showcasing the Charlottesville area. Complimentary beverages and snacks are also included. In 2020 the airport had 90,555 aircraft operations, average 248 per day: 67%

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

, 19%

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. History The concept of air taxis existed as early as the 1910s. This concept goes back as early as 1917 with Glenn Curtiss’ prototype, the auto-plane. Furthermor ...

, 11% military, and 3% airline. In January 2022, 56 aircraft were based at this airport: 40 single-engine, 6 jet, 1

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

, and 1

ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

. In 2022, 2 new elevator banks were opened in the Long-term parking lot to replace the older elevator to improve ADA compliance. In 2023, the airport completed an upgrade of their airfield lighting, which switched to all LED lighting. This will help to reduce maintenance, improve visibility, and reduce electric costs. Following the return of flights to Chicago–O'Hare in August, it was announced that the airport intends to construct a new terminal and parking garage by the end of the decade.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Statistics

Top routes

Carrier shares

Former airlines and destinations

Accidents and incidents

* Piedmont Airlines Flight 349 crashed on October 30, 1959 into Bucks Elbow Mountain while attempting to land at this airport, killing 26 of 27 people on board.

The White Oak

The tree is the second-largest white oak in Virginia, standing 75 feet tall with an 85-foot crown. It is located on the southernmost point of airport property along the approach to Runway 3. It is believed to be between 250 and 300 years old. Furthermore, it is included in Virginia Tech's Virginia Big Tree Database and also the Remarkable Trees of Virginia Program. Access to the tree is restricted as it is in a secure section of the airport, but visits can be scheduled on the airport's website.

References

External links

Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport
official website * * *Virginia Tech'
Virginia Big Tree Database
White Oak Tree information {{DEFAULTSORT:Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Airports in Virginia Buildings and structures in Albemarle County, Virginia Transportation in Albemarle County, Virginia Transportation in Charlottesville, Virginia Airports established in 1955 1955 establishments in Virginia