Richmond International Airport (RIC) was dedicated on October 15, 1927, as Richard Evelyn Byrd Flying Field, named for Virginia-born naval officer, polar explorer, and aviator Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd. Charles Lindbergh attended the ceremony, arriving in the Spirit of St. Louis just months after his transatlantic crossing. Few airport openings in American history carried that kind of symbolic weight.

Located in Henrico County roughly 7 miles southeast of downtown Richmond, RIC is the principal commercial aviation facility for Virginia's Capital Region and central Virginia. The airport has 3 asphalt runways in an open-V configuration, with its longest at 9,003 feet. Eastern Air Lines began scheduled service from Byrd Field in 1932, and by the late 1950s the airport was handling dozens of daily departures. Jet-age growth prompted a major expansion between 1968 and 1970. The field was renamed Richmond International Airport in 1984. A $300 million terminal renovation, completed in 2007 and designed by Gresham, Smith and Partners, produced a two-level terminal with upper-level departures and lower-level arrivals. The airport has been managed by the Capital Region Airport Commission since 1975.

Today RIC handles roughly 105,000 operations annually and attracts over 3 million travelers per year. Delta, United, Southwest, and American are among the carriers serving the airport, with top domestic connections to Atlanta, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Orlando. The airport also holds Foreign Trade Zone status and serves as a significant air cargo facility.