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AirportImprovement.com      July | August 2026
TERMINALS 
ORF
and chief marketing and communications 
officer for ORF. “Since 2022, there’s been a 
rapid uptick in passenger activity coupled 
with the addition of three new carriers: 
Breeze, Spirit and JetBlue. We’ve grown to 
45 nonstop markets, plus a flurry of capital 
projects.”
Passenger volume has increased the 
past four years, reaching 4.89 million in 
2025—up nearly 23% from 2019’s pre-
pandemic high, Jones points out. 
Still, international service had been 
absent since 2001, and Norfolk Airport 
Authority officials saw the demand and 
potential for more growth, including new 
international routes. 
When Perryman assumed leadership of 
the airport in 2022, he continued long-
standing efforts to attract international 
service. For years, Cancun has been the 
most popular destination for travelers 
departing the Norfolk region, but 
passengers had to make stops elsewhere 
to reach the Mexican resort city. Within 
months of Perryman taking the reins 
at ORF, he met with the port director 
of CBP’s Area Port of Norfolk-Newport 
News about adding international flights. 
When it became clear that CBP felt the 
existing, outmoded FIS facility would not 
work for new service, Perryman remained 
determined and offered to build CBP a new 
version. Despite initial skepticism from CBP 
that the project would transpire, it worked 
with the airport to design a new FIS facility. 
Process Matters 
The FIS and Concourse A projects are 
part of TransformORF, the airport’s nearly 
$1 billion capital improvement/
modernization program. 
For the most recent phase, ORF used 
the Construction Manager at Risk project 
delivery method. Perryman highlights 
design control and cost containment as 
two of the main reasons why. “We get 
it [the project design] to a certain point, 
then we bring the construction manager 
in,” he explains. “They get involved with 
the costing and trying to make sure we 
are doing the value engineering and work 
FACTS&FIGURES 
Projects: Int’l Arrivals Building; Concourse 
Expansion
Location: Norfolk Int’l Airport, in VA
Key Benefits: Accommodating new int’l service 
& overall passenger growth; improving operational 
efficiency
Federal Inspection Services (FIS) Facility: 
2 stories; 26,000 sq. ft.
Cost: $31 million 
Funding: $7 million in Airport Improvement grants; 
$6 million in Airport Terminal Program discretionary 
funds; $3 million in Congressionally Directed 
Spending; remainder in airport funds
Concourse A Expansion: 2 stories; 19,000 sq. 
ft.; 3 new gates 
Cost: $30 million 
Funding: $22 million in passenger facility charges; 
$8 million in Airport Improvement Program grants
Timeline: FIS facility opened March 2026; 
Concourse A expansion opened April 2026
Architectural Design for Both Projects: 
Gresham Smith
Construction Manager & General 
Contractor for Both: W.M. Jordan Co.
Construction Consulting for FIS: Andre + 
Marquez Architects
Passenger Boarding Bridges: Oshkosh 
FIS Facility Baggage System: G&S Airport 
Conveyor
Plumbing & HVAC: Warwick Mechanical Group
Food & Beverage Concessionaire: Faber, 
Coe & Greg
PHOTO: ORF

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