AASHTO Journal - FAA Issues $66M in Airport Modernization Grants

The Federal Aviation Administration awarded $66.2 million in Airport Infrastructure Grant or AIG program funding to airports in 23 states and Puerto Rico in late 2023.

[Above photo by FAA]

Some 66 airport projects are receiving fiscal support via this round of AIG program funding – part of the $15 billion allocated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to the AIG program to modernize airport terminals, increase airfield safety, expand capacity, replace equipment, and more.

“We are replacing and upgrading key infrastructure and equipment as quickly as possible to improve facilities for air passengers,” noted FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta Griffin in a statement. “These investments keep us on track for seamless improvements that fliers will notice in the future,”

The agency said many of the projects supported by this round of grants contain an element that involves improving drainage, replacing or purchasing equipment and building new terminals, towers, roads, taxi lanes, and runway signage.

Specific funding allocations for this round of grants from the AIG program include: $3.2 million for rehabilitating airport terminals; $1 million to purchase snow removal equipment; $1.8 million for rehabilitating airport control towers; $890,535 to improve airfield drainage; $69,866 to purchase aircraft fire and rescue equipment. To date, the FAA said it has awarded nearly $9 billion in AIG funding to airports across the country.

In a related effort, the FAA issued $201 million to 82 airports nationwide in October 2023 to improve runway lighting systems. The agency is also accepting applications for nearly $300 million in grants to reduce carbon emissions from the aviation sector.

In March 2023, the FAA held a Safety Summit to address a spate of runway-related incidents. That summit brought together leaders from across the aviation sector, including airlines, airports, flight and ground crews, air traffic control, and associations to find potential causes and needed actions to uphold safety.