Bill Text: VA HJR181 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Commending Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 4-1)
Status: (Passed) 2024-02-29 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ181ER) [HJR181 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR181-Introduced.html
WHEREAS, Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport serves as a vital transportation hub in western Virginia and 2023 marked the 90th anniversary of the first commercial flight in the region; and
WHEREAS, Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport traces its deepest roots to the end of World War I, when local leaders began discussing the need for an airport, and on July 1, 1929, the City of Roanoke signed a lease for what became known as Roanoke Municipal Airport; and
WHEREAS, Roanoke Municipal Airport opened with a single hangar and a pair of dirt runways; its first carrier was Ludington Airlines, which primarily flew routes from New York City to Washington, D.C., but acquired Dixie Flying Service of Charlottesville in 1931, leading to an expansion of new routes; and
WHEREAS, Ludington Airlines made Roanoke a stop on its route to and from Nashville, and the first commercial passenger flight departed from Roanoke Municipal Airport in 1933; the motto of Ludington Airlines, "Plane Service Like Train Service," was appropriate, given Roanoke's history and heritage as a railway hub; and
WHEREAS, through the mid-1930s, Ludington Airlines flew Ford Trimotors, the workhorse passenger aircraft of the time, then transitioned to the revolutionary Boeing 247 and the venerable Douglas DC-2 and Douglas DC-3; and
WHEREAS, Ludington Airlines was subsequently acquired by Eastern Airlines, which broke up in 1991, with its routes becoming part of American Airlines and Continental Airlines, which is now known as United Airlines; and
WHEREAS, Roanoke Municipal Airport received additional funding as a national defense asset in the lead up to World War II and continued to expand and flourish in the post-war era; and
WHEREAS, Piedmont Airlines began service to Roanoke in 1948 and grew to become the top carrier in the region; Piedmont Airlines introduced the first jetliner to the region, the Boeing 727, in 1967; and
WHEREAS, in 1983, Roanoke Municipal Airport changed its name to Roanoke Regional Airport, and in 1987, the newly formed Roanoke Regional Airport Commission assumed ownership of the facility; and
WHEREAS, Roanoke Municipal Airport adopted its current name in 2014 to better reflect its growing service area and the deep economic ties between Roanoke and the New River Valley; and
WHEREAS, today, Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport offers dozens of scheduled flights per day and provides nonstop service to several major cities; the airport is served by major carriers like American, United Airlines, Delta, and Allegiant and is well equipped to accommodate passenger airlines, airfreight, general aviation, private charter operators, and the military; and
WHEREAS, as western Virginia's only full-service airport, Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport connects local residents, the thriving business sector in the region, and the students, faculty, and researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to the rest of the Commonwealth and the world; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the first commercial flight in the region; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the airport's decades of contributions to residents, businesses, and travelers and work to maintain the legacy of air travel in the region.
