U.S. DOT Announces $123 Million in Grants to Improve Airports

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced more than $123 million for airfield, safety and other improvement projects at 235 airports in 35 states and the District of Columbia.

This second round of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants fund a variety of projects such as construction of new and improved airport facilities, repairs to runways and taxiways, maintenance of airfield elements such as lighting and signage, or purchasing equipment needed to operate and maintain airports. 

View an interactive map with all the grants.

“This $123 million investment helps airports across the Nation sustain and improve critical infrastructure to advance the safest, most efficient airport system in the world,” said FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta R. Griffin, P.E.

Examples of airports receiving grants include:

  • $1.9 million to Buckeye Municipal Airport in Arizona: This grant funds the reconstruction of Taxiway J pavement to improve safety.
  • $3.8 million to John Wayne Airport – Orange County in California: This grant funds the purchase of a new escalator in Terminal A and new escalator in Terminal B.
  • $3.5 million to Kit Carson County Airport in Colorado: This grant funds the reconstruction of Taxiway A pavement to improve safety.
  • $6.8 million to Miami International Airport in Florida: This grant funds final phase of the rehabilitation of the existing apron which will minimize foreign object debris and improve safety.
  • $4.6 million to Eastern Iowa Airport in Iowa: This grant funds the replacement of the existing airport lighting vault equipment and the design and construction phase for reconstructing Taxiway D.
  • $2.2 million to Topeka Regional Airport in Kansas: This grant funds reconstruction of the pavement on Taxiway A to improve safety
  • $2.4 million to Cape Girardeau Regional in Missouri: This grant funds reconstructing of the existing lighting and pavement on Taxiway D to improve safety.
  • $1.3 million to Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport/Forney Field in Missouri: This grant funds the construction of a new terminal building to increase passenger capacity.
  • $3.5 million to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri: This grant funds the reimbursement for construction of a terminal building.
  • $2 million to Billings Logan International Airport in Montana: This grant funds reconstruction of Taxiway J lighting and construction for a new cargo apron.
  • $417,958 to Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada: This grant funds reconstructing pavement for several taxilanes to improve safety.

The Airport Improvement Program receives approximately $3.3 billion in funding each year. A complete listing of grants is on the FAA website.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.