CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Board members at West Virginia International Yeager Airport were joined Wednesday by U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice to announce $25 million in congressionally directed spending for terminal modernization and passenger improvements.
Airport Director and CEO Dominique Ranieri said the funding will support the next phase of the project.
“This funding that Senator Capito and Senator Justice were able to bring back to West Virginia for us, is the first step in the next major part of our CRW Next project, where we are completely renovating and adding on and expanding this terminal building to be better prepared for future aviation in our state,” Ranieri said.
The next phase includes construction of a new concourse, an expanded hold room for passengers, renovations to the TSA checkpoint, and new concessions and restrooms.
Ranieri said construction will begin once the pre-security renovations are complete. Those renovations began in October 2025.
She said airport operations will continue without interruption once the next phase is underway.
“The beauty of the phasing of this project, we will be able to just wall off one end of the terminal and the passengers that are still using the terminal during that construction won’t even know it’s happening, everything will be added onto the building,” Ranieri said.
Capito, who is responsible for getting the funding, said she worked with airport officials to determine how Congress could support the project.
She said she submitted a funding request to the Senate Appropriations Committee, on which she serves.
“If it weren’t for my ability to do this, it would just be them applying to a huge grant program and trying to lift their grant up to compete with others, and sometimes that’s hard for rural and smaller areas, so our voices weighing in really make a difference,” Capito said.
She said that because she frequently travels through the airport, she has seen firsthand where additional funding is needed to further improve the passenger experience.
Capito said the funding is significant because it will allow the airport’s operations to expand.
“To see that the airport can expand and can meet the demands of really traveling public but there’s a lot about ease of travel too, there’s going to be a really nice relaxation areas, gate areas, not so much up and down, accessibility is going to be so much better,” she said.
She said the airport serves as many visitors’ first impression of West Virginia, making the improvements important for attracting travelers to the state.
“People who’ve never been to West Virginia are flying into Charleston for the first time, whether they’re coming for a meeting, visit a family member, or to vacation, or go to the New River Gorge National Park, this is their first impression of our state and we want it to be a good one, and that’s why it needs to be a great gateway,” Capito said.
Ranieri said she is excited about the project, noting it has been a long time in the making.
“Airports are constantly preparing for the future, and we’ve known that our 1947 building is in need of an update, so that we can really serve our passengers that you’re seeing today and be ready for passengers of the future,” she said.
The CRW Next renovation and expansion project is expected to cost $60 million in total.