Richmond Jet Center’s RIC facilities.
Richmond Jet Center is back on more stable ground for at least the next five years after shoring up its relationship with Richmond International Airport.
The long-running firm, which is one of two fixed-base operators at RIC, recently entered into an extended lease with the airport, allowing it to continue operating its facilities at 5745 Huntsman Road through January 2031.
The amended lease also includes provisions for improvements to RJC’s property, the cost of which will be shared by the company and the airport.
The new agreement comes nearly a year after RJC’s future at RIC was left up in the air when airport CEO Perry Miller proposed bringing FBO services in-house, a proposal that would also threaten Million Air, another FBO that’s been at RIC for decades.
FBOs provide behind-the-scenes services to airlines like de-icing, belt loading and other maintenance, as well as services to private aircraft.
The terminal lobby at Richmond International Airport. (Courtesy Todd Wright/RIC)
Miller’s plan drew vocal pushback from both RJC and Million Air, as it would have amounted to a government-run monopoly controlling the bulk of the services at the airport and would have potentially put the two privately-owned FBOs out of business.
But the plan never got off the ground and earlier this year the Capital Region Airport Commission voted to approve a resolution to allow the airport and RJC to enter into negotiations on a five-year lease extension and renovation agreement. The deal was memorialized in recent days.
According to terms of the lease, RJC will pay annual rent of $582,000 starting on Feb. 1, 2026, with annual increases thereafter of no more than 3%.
RJC also will pay a lump sum of $77,000 to the airport commission for its portion of the costs of roof improvements on its facilities.
The lease also allows for RJC to make additional, unspecified improvements to its property for which the commission will repay back to RJC through monthly rent credits of up to $555,000 in total.
RJC President Michael Clarke, whose family has run the business since the 1940s, said the company is pleased to have secured the lease extension.
“This extension provides critical operational stability for the airport, the airlines, general aviation customers and our employees, who have worked tirelessly to help Richmond International Airport achieve its recent successes,” Clarke said in a prepared statement. “It also authorizes us to make important upgrades to our facilities and will ensure RJC can continue providing high-quality services at Richmond International Airport, as we’ve done for nearly 80 years.”
The lease also involved RJC’s fuel storage sister company Aero Industries.
With RJC taken care of, the airport must still work out a similar extension with Million Air, which has been in business at the airport since the 1990s. Its current lease expires on Feb. 1, 2026.
Million Air Richmond is a franchise owned by local businessman Mark Cooke, who said this week that airport officials have visited his facilities and he awaits further progress in the lease extension process.
The airport, through spokesman Troy Bell, said it “looks forward to soon finalizing a similar negotiation with Million Air.”
Richmond Jet Center’s RIC facilities.
Richmond Jet Center is back on more stable ground for at least the next five years after shoring up its relationship with Richmond International Airport.
The long-running firm, which is one of two fixed-base operators at RIC, recently entered into an extended lease with the airport, allowing it to continue operating its facilities at 5745 Huntsman Road through January 2031.
The amended lease also includes provisions for improvements to RJC’s property, the cost of which will be shared by the company and the airport.
The new agreement comes nearly a year after RJC’s future at RIC was left up in the air when airport CEO Perry Miller proposed bringing FBO services in-house, a proposal that would also threaten Million Air, another FBO that’s been at RIC for decades.
FBOs provide behind-the-scenes services to airlines like de-icing, belt loading and other maintenance, as well as services to private aircraft.
The terminal lobby at Richmond International Airport. (Courtesy Todd Wright/RIC)
Miller’s plan drew vocal pushback from both RJC and Million Air, as it would have amounted to a government-run monopoly controlling the bulk of the services at the airport and would have potentially put the two privately-owned FBOs out of business.
But the plan never got off the ground and earlier this year the Capital Region Airport Commission voted to approve a resolution to allow the airport and RJC to enter into negotiations on a five-year lease extension and renovation agreement. The deal was memorialized in recent days.
According to terms of the lease, RJC will pay annual rent of $582,000 starting on Feb. 1, 2026, with annual increases thereafter of no more than 3%.
RJC also will pay a lump sum of $77,000 to the airport commission for its portion of the costs of roof improvements on its facilities.
The lease also allows for RJC to make additional, unspecified improvements to its property for which the commission will repay back to RJC through monthly rent credits of up to $555,000 in total.
RJC President Michael Clarke, whose family has run the business since the 1940s, said the company is pleased to have secured the lease extension.
“This extension provides critical operational stability for the airport, the airlines, general aviation customers and our employees, who have worked tirelessly to help Richmond International Airport achieve its recent successes,” Clarke said in a prepared statement. “It also authorizes us to make important upgrades to our facilities and will ensure RJC can continue providing high-quality services at Richmond International Airport, as we’ve done for nearly 80 years.”
The lease also involved RJC’s fuel storage sister company Aero Industries.
With RJC taken care of, the airport must still work out a similar extension with Million Air, which has been in business at the airport since the 1990s. Its current lease expires on Feb. 1, 2026.
Million Air Richmond is a franchise owned by local businessman Mark Cooke, who said this week that airport officials have visited his facilities and he awaits further progress in the lease extension process.
The airport, through spokesman Troy Bell, said it “looks forward to soon finalizing a similar negotiation with Million Air.”