The grants are part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Grant program—which includes $25 billion in terminal expansions, baggage system upgrades, runway safety enhancements, and air traffic infrastructure upgrades.

Airports on the receiving end of the grants include El Paso International Airport (KELP) in Texas, where $10.6 million will fund the construction of a new general aviation apron and rehabilitate the existing GA apron pavement.

At the San Jose Mineta International Airport (KSJC) in California, $18.1 million will fund a new taxiway and terminal to accommodate additional airline passengers. 

Dallas Love Field Airport (KDAL) in Texas will receive $4.2 million for improvements to the airfield drainage system and the Runway 13/31 safety area to guard against runway excursions.  

“[This] investment is the second largest in AIG [Airport Infrastructure Grants] history,” said Shannetta Griffin, FAA associate administrator for airports. “We’re supporting safety with lighting and runway signage upgrades and improving the traveler experience with new terminals.” 

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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Projects include taxiway improvements, aircraft rescue, firefighting and snow removal equipment.

The $110 million in grants from the Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) program are funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted in 2022 that allots $15 billion  over a span of five years. According to the FAA, nearly $9 billion in AIG funding has been awarded to airports.

• READ MORE: Federal Airport Improvement Grants to Fund Tower Upgrades

“These grants help airports across the nation sustain and improve critical infrastructure to advance the safest, most efficient airport system in the world,” Shannetta Griffin,  FAA associate administrator for airports, said in a statement.

FAA said projects funded through the latest round of grants include:

• $43 million for Charlotte Douglas International Airport (KCLT) in North Carolina to construct a new 6,400-foot, end-around taxiway at the Runway 18C end to increase safety and reduce air traffic delays. 
• $617,763 for Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (KBWI) in Glen Burnie, Maryland, to rehabilitate a portion of the existing Taxiway T lighting system to extend its useful life and enhance safe airfield operations during low visibility conditions. 
• $326,000 for Omak Airport (KOMK) in Washington to reconstruct 2,000 feet of the existing Taxiway A north pavement that has reached the end of its useful life.  

• $8.6 million for Gerald R. Ford International Airport (KGRR) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to reconstruct the existing aircraft rescue and firefighting building to continue housing eligible vehicles, equipment, supplies, and personnel.  
• $1.3 million for Jamestown Regional Airport (KJMS) in North Dakota to rehabilitate an existing on-airport roadway to provide a path for aircraft rescue and firefighting trucks, airport vehicles, and ground service equipment to operate without entering airfield movement areas. 

• $881,000 for Southwest Minnesota Regional Marshall Airport/Ryan Field (KMML) in Marshall to construct a 2,470-square-foot building to store snow removal equipment. 
• $722,220 for Pocatello Regional Airport (KPIH) in Idaho to acquire a new wheel loader with ramp plow and bucket.  
• $497,484 for Walla Walla Regional Airport (KALW) in Washington to acquire replacement snow removal equipment with plow and deice distributor. 
• $448,000 for Mora Municipal Airport (KJMR) in Minnesota to acquire a replacement carrier vehicle with plow and sweeper attachments. 
• $292,000 for Marshfield Municipal Airport-George Harlow Field (KGHG) in Massachusetts to acquire replacement snow removal equipment. 
• $113,003 for Glen Ullin Regional Airport (D57) in North Dakota to acquire a new blower attachment. 
• $41,951 for Big Horn County Airport (KGEY) in Hardin, Montana, to acquire a new truck and plow equipment. 

More information about airport infrastructure projects funded by the Bipartisan Instructure Law and where they are located may be found here.

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“The organization began when the states came together to discuss this new thing, aviation, which was so mobile that individual states couldn’t just be managed by themselves,” said Gregory Pecoraro, NASAO’s president and CEO. “There needed to be some agreement on what the regulatory framework would be for aviation across the country.”  

“The states quickly realized that they couldn’t do this all themselves, so they asked the federal government to become engaged. NASAO has since stayed involved to ensure the same things that we have always been involved in. We continue to be partners with the federal government in managing the aviation system and continue to express the concerns of the states to Congress and the FAA,” he said.

Put simply, NASAO represents the public interest in all things related to aviation and airports. The organization represents all 50 states, as well as the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.  

Factors affecting airports, such as the role of states in airport infrastructure, are a key priority among NASAO’s membership, Pecoraro said.

“In pretty much every state, the state aviation agency has some responsibility for the state’s aviation plan, which of course gets shared with the FAA. It’s a crucial part of decision-making related to AIP (Airport Improvement Program) grants. Some states have more engagement than others in this process and there are 10 states that are known as ‘block grant’ states,” he said. 

Those states receive funding directly from the FAA, then make decisions on how it will be spent at non-primary airports, he added.

“Other states are what are called ‘channeling states,’ where the money is channeled through the states to the non-primary airports,” Pecoraro said. “Again, [for these states] the FAA sends the money directly to the airports, but the state agency is involved with system planning and consulting with the airport district office, the regional offices, and of course [FAA] headquarters on making decisions on how those funds will flow into the states.” 

States hold additional roles when it comes to aviation, he added.

“Pretty much all states are involved in airport inspections to make sure that airports are meeting standards set by the FAA,” Pecoraro said. “And they also work with airports on how to seek funding that they need to access monies for infrastructure, to improve safety, to do expansion, to repair issues—across the whole range of reasons why airports need to spend money.”

In addition to these aspects of aviation, as well as others, the advocacy group is presently intently focused on priorities related to the reauthorization year.

“We are actively working with Congressional policymakers throughout the year and especially right now, as we are preparing for the Reauthorization Bill. We are also actively engaged with various offices at the FAA; the office of airports, UAS, safety, and others, to make sure that they are aware of our members’ concerns and that we are trying to partner with them wherever possible. We also engage with other federal agencies, such as the NTSB, Homeland Security and TSA, and others that intersect with aviation issues,” Pecoraro said. 

“There is a huge unmet need for funding to fix the nation’s aviation infrastructure. The monies that Congress and the (Biden) administration put into the (bipartisan infrastructure) bill are certainly a great down payment on helping to meet that need. More is necessary and we will continue seeking additional funds to meet that need. There is more to do than just fixing the additional infrastructure. We also have to start investing in the airports of the future,” he said.

“We have new entrants into aviation and new technologies that we are trying to figure out how to plan for and accommodate. That’s critical to the future of aviation and these airports are going to be a huge part of how people are going to access the aviation system over the next couple of decades. And we need to make sure that America’s aviation infrastructure has been redesigned, to some extent, to accommodate that.”

Pecoraro, who previously served as vice president of government affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, knows the impact that individual members of the aviation community have on governmental policy. As such, he highlights the importance of aviators being contributors to industry dialogue. 

“First of all, pilots need to continue doing what they usually do, which is to stay focused on safety. That’s always critical and needs to be the number one thing that we all concern ourselves with. Secondly, it’s always a good idea for pilots to be politically aware, to understand what’s going on in their states and nationally to ensure, among other issues they’re concerned about, that support for aviation is appropriate. They should share their concerns with their elected representative and at every level, everyone makes a contribution.

“The federal government is generous in funding aviation infrastructure at the non-primary airports, which depending on the year is 90 percent to 95 percent of the funding, but the state and local governments have to make their match. So, it’s important that there be support at the local level for state governments to make this funding. We hope that pilots and others involved in the aviation industry continue to keep that in mind. Airports are always critical and while not every airport is as busy as another, they all represent a safe place to land when you need one,” Pecoraro said.

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