The Manassas City Council unanimously approved a measure to allow passenger flight services out of the area’s regional airport. Officials estimate the plan could take at least four years to fully complete.

After nearly three decades of discussion, Manassas is one step closer to implementing a passenger airline service at its regional airport.

The proposal, which airport officials say will become official following a second vote at a special council meeting on Friday, calls for a 40-year franchise agreement with Avports, an airport management company owned by Goldman Sachs, to provide commercial airline service at the Manassas Regional Airport. The plan would triple the terminal space on the airport’s 880-acre site.

It would also transform the largest general aviation airport in Virginia into one of nine airports across the state that offer passenger service, according to Airport Director Juan Rivera.

The expansion would place Manassas in tandem with larger airports across the Washington metropolitan area that offer domestic and international flights, such as Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport. Rivera said the focus is providing low-cost, regional flights for local and surrounding communities, specifically in Northern Virginia.

“We’re not certainly going to be a DCA or a Dulles; we don’t have the facilities nor the landmass for something like that,” Rivera said. “That’s also not what we want to be when we grow up, so to speak. I think it’ll be a niche market. It’s point-to-point.”

Under the plan, Avports Manassas would invest up to $125 million to expand the airport terminal at 10600 Harry J. Parrish Blvd. to a 35,000-square-foot space. Officials said the proposal estimates roughly four to six terminal gates and an increase of less than 11 percent for flights arriving and departing the airport, which would equate to up to 112,000 flights annually.

They hope to provide infrastructure to offer 3,650 additional flights during the first year of operation, and nearly 12,000 in the third year. Officials say the airport could eventually offer up to 30 daily flights going to and from Manassas.

The expansion would serve as an access point into larger airports, or provide regional service to surrounding areas, including Charlotte and Boston. The airport is also looking to provide carrier services into Florida because it’s a popular destination, according to Avports officials.

Avports would handle commercial passenger service operations but work under the jurisdiction of Manassas Regional Airport, which will continue to own the site, officials said. Rivera added that Avports would take on the investment and financing on the project.

Avports said it would profit off operational fees for the airport, such as parking and concessions, while profit generated from rent, the expanded terminal and land that is being used would go toward Manassas Regional Airport. The airport would also get a percentage of the revenue that Avports generates, which Rivera said would be no more than 5 percent.

Manassas Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger said the proposed expansion would allow for economic growth for the area and would provide a convenient option for local residents to access a nearby airport. The closest commercial airport is Dulles, which is a half-hour drive from the city’s downtown.

“It’s a game changer for the city — it’s income, it’s going to help with the tax base. It’s just a positive thing all the way around,” Davis-Younger said. “Anytime you can provide an avenue for businesses to come into the city, for people to come into the city, it’s always going to be a good thing — growth is a good thing.”

Terry L. Clower, director of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, said the plan would ultimately be good for business and economic development throughout the Washington area.

He added that the size and scope of the proposed Manassas Regional Airport expansion is not large enough to significantly impact surrounding airports like National and Dulles. In turn, newfound airport development would also attract investment from outside companies, such as those who operate data centers, to accelerate growth.

“What we find is that having a variety of air transportation options is good for making a region more attractive,” Clower said. “So, if we can get these investments, particularly if they are investments supported by the Federal Aviation Administration, that’s going to work to leverage those local investments, and I think that’s going to be good.”

Officials from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which oversees National and Dulles airports, said they don’t have a position on airports outside of their oversight because, ultimately, additional air service choices for consumers is good for the community at large.

There have been conversations on providing passenger flight services in Manassas since the mid-1990s, when Walt Disney Co. proposed a $650 million theme park in Haymarket around United States history, Rivera said.

With Manassas roughly 12 miles away from the proposed Disney’s America site, officials sought to build an airport terminal to handle the expected tourism from the development, he added. Although the larger airport terminal had been built, the Disney proposal faced strong public opposition and was eventually abandoned.

The terminal space was eventually repurposed into office spaces, and as aircraft equipment and sizing grew exponentially over the years, it became apparent that the airport would need a large, costly renovation project to stay up to date, Rivera said.

Avports CEO Jorge Roberts said the Manassas proposal is part of a trend to bring private funding to public airports for passenger terminals. There have been six regional airport developments over nearly three decades, with the most recent addition happening in New Haven, Conn., three years ago. He said he hopes to see similar success in Manassas.

“We’re very excited to see this project take the next step,” Roberts said in a statement. “The City of Manassas has long planned for passenger commercial service and we’re very proud to play a role.”

The first phase of the project would begin once the FAA signs off on the plan, which would kick-start a 12-to-18-month certification process that would assess whether the airport meets air transportation safety standards and ensure passenger services flights meet federal regulations, according to the FAA’s site. Avports estimates the entire project could take up to four years to complete.

Officials said that they hope to have three to five flights a day once Phase One begins. They hope to eventually increase these flight capacities in the next phase, and complete an environmental impact analysis over the course of this work.

Overall, Rivera said the airport development would provide a convenient market for residents closer to their homes and increase tourism and economic growth. At Manassas Regional Airport alone, the proposal could add nearly 250 airport jobs.

“I just think this is a good thing for the citizens,” he said. “I think it’s going to open a lot of opportunities for creating jobs.”