The Grand Canyon National Park Airport, operated by the Arizona Department of Transportation, was recently named the state’s Airport of the Year for 2026 following a complex runway renovation that enhanced operational reliability and safety.
[Above photo by Arizona DOT]
The award is presented annually by the Arizona DOT Aeronautics Group, which supports Arizona’s 67 publicly owned and operated airports by dispersing grant funding for capital improvement projects.
This is the first time that Grand Canyon National Park Airport – opened in October 1965 – has been named Airport of the Year. The agency said in a statement that this award is in recognition of the airport’s two-month $12 million project – completed in 2025 – that resurfaced its sole runway, reconfigured a key taxiway intersection, refreshed apron markings and updated signage to meet current Federal Aviation Administration standards.
Other state departments of transportation are also supporting a variety of airport improvement projects across their respective regions of the country.
For example, the New York State Department of Transportation recently notched a major milestone in its $100 million project to revitalize Albany International Airport; opening a 6,000-square-foot section of the airport’s new “Departure Hall” that includes a direct connection to a second-floor security checkpoint and four new escalators connecting the first floor to the new space.
Once complete, the 14,000-square-foot Departure Hall will house the main security checkpoint and queuing area, new restrooms, a Dunkin’ Donuts, a direct connection to the North Parking Garage, and a signature art installation by Hudson Valley artist Jean Shin.
“[This] work [will] transform our upstate airports into modern aviation facilities and is reshaping regional economies and reimagining airport operations across the Empire State,” explained Marie Therese Dominguez, NYSDOT’s commissioner, in a statement.
“The airports we are reconstructing are visually appealing, customer centered and regionally focused, and already the results speak for themselves,” she noted. “At Albany International Airport, a brand-new Departure Hall is replacing the existing rotunda and an outdated pedestrian bridge, creating vibrant new space for customers and commerce while leaving a lasting first impression for our world class Capital Region.”
