The Federal Aviation Administration awarded $477 million in airport infrastructure grants to 264 airports in 45 states, the Pacific Islands, and the District of Columbia on July 9, which follows $495 million in similar grants to 327 airports in 46 States and the Pacific Islands on June 24.
[Above photo by Atlanta Hartsfield Int’l Airport.]
Those monies come from a total of $3.18 billion allotted to the Airport Improvement Program, which provides grant funding to “selected projects” that include runway reconstruction and rehabilitation, construction of firefighting facilities, and the maintenance of taxiways, aprons, and terminals.
The construction and equipment supported by this funding increase the airports’ safety, emergency response capabilities, and capacity, and could support further economic growth and development within each airport’s region, the agency said.
According to FAA data, airport infrastructure in the United States encompasses 3,332 airports, 5,000 paved runways, and supports $1.6 trillion in total economic activity as well as nearly 11 million jobs.
The agency added that airports can receive a certain amount of AIP entitlement funding each year based on activity levels and project needs. If their capital project needs exceed their available entitlement funds, the FAA said it can supplement their entitlements with discretionary funding.
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