NORFOLK, Va. — As the summer travel season kicks off, you could say Norfolk International Airport is putting more of a focus on that second word in its name.
The airport is considered an international airport because of its capability to process international flights, whether private or redirected. But, of the more than 40 direct commercial flights regularly taking off from Hampton Roads' busiest airport, none are to overseas destinations.
Norfolk Airport Authority CEO Mark Perryman hopes to see that change soon.
“There’s a lot more interest in Caribbean and I think we’ll see a lot more movement towards that in the next year’s cycle," he told News 3, adding that he also is speaking with airlines across the Atlantic. “We’re talking to the Aer Linguses, the British Airs, Lufthansa, the Condors, the Iceland Air. Those are the ones we continue to talk to and we’re making traction. We heard from at least one of them that we're foreseeable to launch by '27."
But even before then, people looking to fly international will have an opportunity to make their next overseas trip a little easier.
June 4, 5 and 6, the airport will host interviews for Global Entry applicants.
Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol program that pre-screens travelers, allowing them to bypass the often hours-long Customs process when returning to the country from an overseas trip. It also automatically gives travelers TSA Precheck status for quicker processing through airport security.
It's good for five years.
“I was through customs in seconds. Not minutes, not hours. Literally seconds," said Perryman of a recent return from Spain.
People interested in Global Entry must apply online at the U.S. CBP website first and pay a $120 application fee. Once a background check is passed, applicants can schedule an in-person interview.
Currently, the only interview location in Hampton Roads is in Downtown Norfolk, but right now, applicants can select Norfolk International Airport as an interview location for next Wednesday through Friday. Perryman says each day, 80 interviews will be conducted between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. near Baggage Claim.
It's the first of several Global Entry events planned at the airport.
“There will be more opportunities throughout the summer and probably until [the new International Arrivals] facility is opened," he told News 3.
Just off the airport's Concourse A, a new Customs and Border Patrol facility to process international travelers is under construction. It's part of a $1 billion capital improvement project that will revamp the traveling experience through Norfolk International Airport.
At the other end of the concourse, a three-gate expansion is also taking shape.
“Once the foundations went in, the steel started going up very quickly," said Perryman of the new Customs facility's construction. “They’ve poured the second deck now, the roof will be coming next. Before you know it, they’ll start enclosing the structure and it’ll look like a real building.”
He expects it to be opened either the end of this year or the beginning of the next, at which point Perryman says the facility is expected to take over hosting Global Entry interviews for the region.
There's also hope it will make the airport more desirable in getting carriers to consider adding international direct flights.
"This is one of the facilities where if we don't have a proper international arrivals facility, we won't get a carrier to come here," Perryman told News 3.
