The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded $243.7 million in Airport Infrastructure Grants under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The $243.7 million includes 150 grants in 37 states to modernize airport infrastructure and improve runway safety.
“We saw a record number of passengers fly during the recent holiday season, and we can expect increased demand for air travel to continue,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These investments from the Biden-Harris administration are making it possible to modernize our country’s aging airport infrastructure to meet this demand today and ensure safe, efficient travel into the future.”
Notable grants include:
- $18 million to Sitka Rocky Gutierrez in Alaska to expand the existing terminal building an additional 16,000 square feet to better accommodate existing passengers; and
- $5.5 million to Des Moines International in Iowa to construct a new 295,000 square-foot terminal building to include six gates and related areas, which will increase passenger throughput and reduce delays.
Approximately $70 million will be used on terminal projects at 11 more airports. Several other grants will help to reduce the risk of runway incursions; related projects will reconfigure taxiways that may cause confusion, install new lighting systems, and provide more flexibility on the airfield. Furthermore, approximately $1.7 million will be used to construct or improve fuel farms, and $2.1 million will be used to acquire aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles.
A full list of grants is available here.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law earmarked $15 billion for airport infrastructure funding. To date, the FFA has awarded nearly $9 billion in Airport Infrastructure Grants to airports across the country.