Washington Manassas Airport officials broke ground on a new air traffic control tower, a project meant to replace a structure that has guided planes in and out of the Northern Virginia airfield since 1992. The new tower will give controllers a much higher vantage point and significantly more room to work, train and monitor the airfield than the current setup allows.
The groundbreaking marks the start of construction on a tower designed to provide better visibility across the airfield, along with modern workspaces and expanded training space, according to Potomac Local. Airport officials said the new tower upgrades existing air traffic control facilities, per the seed reporting from General Aviation News. Juan E. Rivera said the project marks the beginning of an important new chapter for the airport, adding that it has been over 26 years in the making and represents continued investment in aviation, safety, and the community, according to the same outlet.
Reports differ on exactly how tall the new structure will stand. WTOP describes the tower as rising 145 feet, while Prince William Times put the new tower at 125 feet tall. General Aviation News instead frames the figure in terms of controller eye height, reporting that the new tower's controller eye height will be 125 feet, exceeding the existing tower's 67-foot eye height by 58 feet.
A Bigger Cab, More Training Space
Whatever the final height figure, the new facility is set to dwarf the current one in usable space. The tower building will encompass approximately 18,300 square feet across eight stories, with a 9,180-square-foot base, per General Aviation News. The new control cab itself will cover approximately 550 square feet, nearly three times the size of the existing 189-square-foot cab, the outlet reports.
That added footprint is meant to support more than just the controllers watching the runways. The new facility includes training rooms, offices, a playback room and a state-of-the-art simulator, according to the same report.
Funding Figures Also Diverge
Project cost estimates have shifted over the course of planning. WTOP reports the project is expected to cost more than $41 million, funded with $26 million from the FAA, $1 million from the Virginia Department of Aviation and the remaining $14 million from the city of Manassas. A May 26 report from Prince William Times put the tower at about $38 million, with the airport seeking $12 million in additional federal and state funds to cover the rest. Separately, Potomac Local reported that staff recommended awarding Costello Construction a $29,314,862.50 construction contract, though that figure reflects a contract recommendation rather than the full reported project cost.
The $26 million federal grant tied to the tower was part of a larger $73.6 million federal package benefiting three Virginia airports, according to Prince William Times. In that same package, Dulles International Airport received $41.8 million toward a new 14-gate terminal building, and Richmond International Airport received $5.8 million for a passenger screening checkpoint, the outlet notes. On the state side, WJLA reports the tower funding was part of $40 million in state investments across 65 public-use airports, with Winchester Regional Airport in Frederick County set to receive more than $2 million for large hangar site preparation.
Replacing A Tower Bought Secondhand From Colorado
The tower now being replaced has an unusual backstory. It was the FAA's first recycled air traffic control tower, moved from Centennial Airport in Colorado and reassembled and dedicated at the Virginia airfield on April 16, 1992, according to WTOP. The City of Manassas purchased that original structure for $65,000, per a city government summary that should be treated as a single, lower-confidence source. It has served the airport for more than 34 years, per General Aviation News.
Commercial Service Still Taking Shape
The tower project arrives as the airport, renamed Washington Manassas Airport earlier in 2026, works toward launching commercial passenger service. WTOP reports the facility received its Part 139 operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, making it Virginia's 10th commercial service airport, and that officials are eyeing 24 departures per day within the next five or six years, though specific carriers have not been finalized.
Timelines for that commercial debut vary by report. Prince William Times wrote on May 26, 2026, that commercial service was expected to begin in spring 2027, while Potomac Local's more recent reporting states that passenger service remains expected by the end of 2027, with no airline yet announced. Potomac Local also reports that Avports has started the first phase of terminal-area construction, including a new passenger building and parking expansion.
Estimates for when the tower itself will be finished also differ. Potomac Local reports the new tower is expected to take about two years to complete, while Prince William Times anticipated tower completion on June 1, 2029.
