Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport has received four grants for infrastructure improvement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) totaling $40 million dollars. The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants will be used for the rehabilitation of an aircraft apron, for ongoing work on the airfield, and for the purchase of new energy-saving equipment for DFW’s Terminal B.
“As our facility approaches its 44th year of operation, we are focusing more on the infrastructure needs of DFW Airport. Grants such as these from the FAA are critical for keeping our Airport operating at a level of excellence for our customers and airline partners,” said Sean Donohue, chief executive officer at DFW Airport. “We want to thank our partners at the FAA for these needed infrastructure improvement grants, and we would also like to thank Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Congressman Kenny Marchant for their continuing support of the Airport.”
“In order to remain competitive in an increasingly globalized economy, we need to make sure that our major airports such as DFW have the full backing of its federal partners and stakeholder groups,” said U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, (D) Texas 30th District. “As the most senior Texan on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I will fight to ensure that we continue to make those investments in airports like DFW so that we can stay ahead of the competition and keep America moving.”
“DFW Airport should be considered as the nation’s premier transportation hub and it will only with improve with these projects,” said U.S. Congressman Kenny Marchant, (R) Texas 24th District. “I am honored to represent DFW Airport in Congress and look forward to the seeing the impacts these improvements will have on air-travel, trade and job creation in North Texas.”
The largest single grant in the package is worth $20 million and will fund a project to construct and expand the aircraft apron south of Terminal D.
A grant for approximately $9 million will contribute to the ongoing project to rehabilitate Runway 18R/36L, which is one of DFW’s primary arrival runways on the west side of the airfield.
Another grant of about $8 million will go to strengthen Taxiway Y, which will allow larger scale aircraft (Airplane Design Group VI) to cross between the west side of the airfield and the east.
Finally, an additional $3 million grant will fund the last phase to equip Terminal B with new and environmentally friendly pre-conditioned air units used to cool jet boarding bridges, and the electrical infrastructure needed to operate those units. That grant comes from the Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) program of the AIP.
The FAA’s Airport Improvement Program provides grants for the planning and development of public-use airports. For large hub airports such as DFW, the grants could cover up to 75 percent of eligible costs for the specific projects awarded.
DFW Airport CEO Sean Donohue and U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX 30) at DFW Airport on October 26, 2016.
