RIC named most efficient airport with fewer than 5 million passengers in North America
Richmond International Airport has been named the most efficient airport with fewer than 5 million passengers in North America, earning the Air Transport Research Society’s 2026 Global Airport Efficiency Award.
The Air Transport Research Society’s Airport Efficiency Excellence Awards recognize airports that demonstrate outstanding operational efficiency, productivity, and cost competitiveness. This year’s results came from a year-long analysis of Fiscal Year 2024 data by the ATRS Global Airport Benchmarking Task Force.
The 2026 awards were presented July 3 during the 2026 ATRS World Conference in Beijing, China. RIC President and CEO Perry Miller accepted RIC’s awards remotely by video. He emphasized that a major goal for the airport is delivering an exceptional customer experience while maintaining the fiscal discipline necessary to keep air travel accessible and affordable.
“The principles on which the Air Transport Research Society measures airport excellence are integral to how RIC serves its passengers, airline partners, employees, and community every day,” Miller said. “This recognition belongs to the talented professionals of Team RIC whose dedication, innovation, and commitment continue to advance our mission of propelling regional prosperity and our vision of becoming the region’s preferred gateway to the world.”
According to an awards’ summary from ATRS, “winners are selected using the residual Variable Factor Productivity index, comparing airports within their region and size category and identifying the efficiency that cannot be explained away by factors such as traffic volume, fleet mix or geography. In other words, what remains is a strong signal of operational excellence.”
The other winners were:
• Indianapolis International Airport (IND) - 5–20 million passengers;
• Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) - 20–40 million passengers;
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) - 40+ million passengers.
