U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will award $616.9 million in airport infrastructure grants, as part of the total $3.18 billion in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding for airports across the United States.
“The Department has been investing heavily in our nation’s airport infrastructure, which will strengthen economic growth and create jobs in communities across the country,” said Secretary Chao.
Some of the airports receiving the grant awards include: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta; the Alpena County Regional Airport in Alpena, Mich.; and the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, N.C.
This fourth increment of funding provides 242 grants to 226 airports and will fund 408 infrastructure projects in 45 states and four U.S. territories. These include runways, taxiways, aprons, terminals, aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles, snow removal equipment, and two firefighting training facilities. In July, the U.S. DOT also gave $771 million in infrastructure grants to airports in 50 states and five U.S. territories.
U.S. infrastructure, especially its 3,323 airports and 5,000 paved runways, increases the country’s competitiveness and improves the traveling public’s quality of life. According to the FAA’s most recent economic analysis, U.S. civil aviation accounts for $1.6 trillion in total economic activity and supports nearly 11 million jobs.
