The Fairfax Girl Team 
Northern Virginia travelers and visitors will have more flight options starting in 2027. United Airlines is adding new international service out of Washington Dulles International Airport in 2027, including non-stop flights to a new destination in France. The first new airport in Virginia in over 50 years will open soon as Washington Manassas Airport just earned a federal certification permitting commercial passenger flights to take off from Prince William County. Read on for two major aviation updates happening in Northern Virginia.
United Airlines Is Adding New International Service From Dulles
United Airlines announced its largest international expansion to date for 2027, and Washington Dulles International Airport is getting a notable new route as part of it: daily nonstop service to Toulouse, France beginning April 26th, 2027.
The new route will mark the first nonstop flight between Toulouse and the United States, as well as United’s first service to the southern French city. The year-round flight will be operated aboard United’s Airbus A321XLR, a newer long-range aircraft with four travel classes and 150 seats. Toulouse also happens to be where the Airbus A321XLR is assembled, giving the new route an extra local connection. According to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, flights are scheduled to depart Dulles at 6:05PM and arrive in Toulouse at 8:15AM the following morning. Flights back to Northern Virginia will leave Toulouse at 10:15AM and arrive at Dulles at 1:25PM. Tickets are already on sale.
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The Toulouse announcement is part of a much larger international push from United. The airline announced 10 new international destinations for 2027, including new service from its hubs to places like Okinawa, Luxembourg, Ibiza, Valencia, Marseille, Sardinia, Sicily, + the Azores.
Dulles has also been seeing a broader expansion of United service. Over the past year, the airline added international flights from the Northern Virginia airport to Reykjavík, Halifax, + Québec City, according to FFXnow. Additional service to Los Cabos, Mexico; Liberia, Costa Rica; + Cartagena, Colombia is also slated to begin later in 2026. United is currently the dominant carrier at Dulles, with its mainline + regional operations accounting for about two-thirds of the airport’s traffic. The airline is also working with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on a long-term expansion at Dulles as the airport adds capacity for future service.
Washington Manassas Airport Is Officially Cleared for Commercial Airlines
On August 31st, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that it had granted Washington Manassas Airport a Part 139 Airport Operating Certificate, allowing the airport to accommodate certain commercial passenger airlines. It is a particularly significant milestone: according to the FAA, Washington Manassas Airport is the first airport in Virginia to receive a new operating certificate in 53 years.
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The certification does more than change the airport’s paperwork. Part 139 certificates are issued to airports that meet federal safety standards in areas including runway + taxiway pavement conditions, aircraft rescue and firefighting, emergency planning, wildlife hazard management, + personnel training. According to the FAA, it has invested more than $46 million at Washington Manassas Airport over the past five years to support infrastructure projects including runway rehabilitation + the future construction of a new air traffic control tower.
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The airport is also receiving several technology upgrades. New high-speed fiber wiring arrived in May 2026, while a new National Airspace System voice recorder + modern voice switches were installed in August. A Surface Awareness Initiative system is expected in October 2027, which will allow air traffic controllers to track aircraft + vehicles in real time, including in poor weather conditions and when aircraft are outside the tower’s direct line of sight.
The certification doesn’t mean Northern Virginia residents can start booking flights from Manassas just yet: commercial passenger flights are currently expected to begin by the end of 2027, and no airline has been publicly announced. A new passenger terminal is expected to open in fall 2027, with commercial operations beginning shortly afterward, according to local reporting.
Washington Manassas Airport is currently primarily a general aviation facility and is considered the busiest general aviation airport in Virginia, with more than 420 based aircraft + roughly 100,000 annual operations. Once commercial service begins, airport officials estimate the facility could eventually accommodate as many as 3 million commercial passengers annually. The change would also give the greater Washington, D.C. region a fourth commercial airport, alongside Washington Dulles International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, + Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
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