Neither members of the public or those paid to write stories about public affairs are allowed to attend meetings of the Land Use and Environmental and Planning Committee.
The group consists of staff from the University of Virginia, Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville and other groups such as the UVA Foundation. The most recent was on July 17 and the agenda was not made available in advance.
Presentations made at the various meetings are made available online after the fact. The meeting on May 15, 2026 had three presentations on transportation according to the minutes.
On one of them, staff with the Charlottesville Regional Airport made a presentation called “Fasten Your Seatbelts.” The airport is operated by the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Authority. (view the presentation)
“The Airport Authority is self-sufficient and receives no local tax revenues for operating expenses,” reads a portion of slide #14.
According to the presentation, there are 370 daily operations and the airport is the 163rd busiest airport out of 580 in 2025 as ranked by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
There are currently nonstop flights to five major American cities and airport officials want to add Boston to that list.
“Every year, tens of thousands of potential CHO passengers choose to drive to Richmond, Dulles, or National instead—adding travel time, parking costs, and frustration to their journey,” reads slide #16. “A nonstop CHO-Boston route would recapture this demand and deliver the convenience our region deserves.”
The Charlottesville Regional Airport website has a section where people can indicate interest in such a flight.
The presentation provides details on what carriers might be suitable and quotes a study from the firm Arthur D. Little claiming a $21.3 million economic impact from a non-stop Boston route.
There are also slides about the airport’s future with visionary slides.
On July 17, the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport announced direct daily nonstop service to Newark, New Jersey will begin on September 24, 2026.
“Every new route tells a story about where a community is headed,” the release quotes Chief Executive Officer Jason Burch. “Newark service is a reflection of Charlottesville’s growth and our commitment to connecting Central Virginia to the world.”
UVA, Albemarle County, and Charlottesville all have ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals. One question for attendees who might be reading this: What role does air travel play in annual inventories?
Before you go: The goal of Town Crier Productions is to increase awareness about what is happening at the local, regional, state, and federal government levels. Please share the work with others if you want people to know things. Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the July 17, 2026 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. You can either subscribe through Substack or make a charitable contribution.
Discover more from Information Charlottesville
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
