Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport is an airport located in Newport News, Virginia, and serves the Hampton Roads metropolitan area along with Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk. The airport is owned and operated by the Peninsula Airport Commission, which is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia.In 2015 the airport handled approximately 404,000 passengers. The loss of dominant air carrier AirTran in 2012 and increased competition from low-cost airlines serving Richmond International Airport have led to more than a 60% reduction in the annual number of passengers using PHF since 2011.HistoryIn 1946, Virginia's General Assembly passed legislation creating the Peninsula Airport Commission to determine a location for and establish a new commercial airport to serve the cities of Newport News and Hampton. An agreement was reached with the US War Asset Administration in 1947 to transfer 924 acres of the former Camp Patrick Henry, a World War II US Army base, to the PAC as the site for the new airport. A Nike missile air defense base, known as N-85, still exists on the property, though abandoned since the mid-1960s.The airport was originally named Patrick Henry Airport. It was assigned the designator PHF, representing <u>Patrick <u>Henry <u>Field. The first runway built was Runway 2–20, a 3500ft runway, followed by Runway 6–24 . Commercial airline service began in November 1949. The airport was serviced by Piedmont Airlines and Capital Airlines.
