FAA promises money for US airport improvements

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed the allocation of $840m in airport infrastructure grants, US Department of Transportation secretary Elaine Chao confirmed yesterday (June 5).

That money represents the first allotment of the total $3.18bn promised in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding for airports across the US.

“This significant investment in airport improvements will fund construction and rehabilitation projects that will help maintain high levels of safety in US aviation,” Chao observed.

The money is to be allocated across 432 grants that will fund infrastructure projects at 381 airports around the country.

Selected projects include runway reconstruction and rehabilitation, the construction of firefighting facilities, and the maintenance of taxiways, aprons and terminals.

The construction and equipment supported by this funding increase the airports’ safety, emergency response capabilities, and capacity, and could support further economic growth and development within each airport’s region, the FAA said.

Airports can receive a certain amount of AIP entitlement funding each year based on activity levels and project needs.

If their capital project needs exceed their available entitlement funds, the FAA can supplement their entitlements with discretionary funding.

Airport infrastructure in the United States, which encompasses no less than 3,332 airports and 5,000 paved runways, supports the country’s economic competitiveness and improves quality of life – not least through cargo flows.