According to the Biden administration, nearly 300 grants were awarded to airports across the country on Tuesday to modernize runways, terminals, security checkpoints, parking garages and other airport infrastructure.
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded more than $566 million to facilities in 47 states through an airport modernization grant program that was included in the 2021 infrastructure bill. This is the FAA’s ninth funding announcement this year, with a total of $2.89 billion being made available in 2024 – the third year of a five-year, $15 billion grant program.
What is particularly notable is that, according to government figures, about half of the country’s 3,000 airports have so far received funding from the Airport Infrastructure Grants program. Some of these projects have even already been completed, including a runway at San Diego International Airport in California.
“We are helping to keep travelers safe by modernizing every part of airport operations, from better runway and taxiway configuration to clearer signage, better lighting and improved pavement markings,” Shannetta R. Griffin, FAA’s deputy administrator for airports, said in a statement.
In the wake of the pandemic, Americans’ willingness to travel is at record levels. Last year, the U.S. aviation industry recorded its busiest year ever, with 16.3 million flights. To meet rising demand, airports across the country have prioritized modernizing their aging infrastructure and planning necessary expansions.
In fact, most of the grants in this round were for infrastructure improvements.
Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport in Kehole, Hawaii, secured the most money in the most recent funding announcement, nearly $50 million to rehabilitate a dilapidated runway. The airport has been shut down twice this year to investigate cracks in the runway.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport received $45 million to fund structural, seismic and building services improvements to an airport concourse. The airport previously received $10 million earlier this year to add two lanes to the arrivals terminal.
And Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in North Carolina received $43 million to finance a de-icing facility, taxiways, aircraft parking, grading and drainage facilities, lighting and signage measures in accordance with current FAA standards.
One of the grants was designed to make the airport more resilient to climate change – a theme of previous funding rounds. In Kentucky, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport received $34 million to expand the existing terminal and add a TSA checkpoint, a solar microgrid and a backup generator. Earlier in the year, the airport had received grants for security improvements and the construction of a microgrid that would make the airport operate better in emergencies.
In Las Vegas, Harry Reid International received $20 million to renovate elevators to make them more compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The airport received $27.8 million in April to install runway drainage systems to protect the pavement from wear and tear.
Under the grant program, funds can be used for airport planning, development, sustainability, terminal expansions, baggage system modernization, runway safety improvements and noise abatement projects at eligible airports.
