FAA announces $289M in airport investments

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it had awarded another $289 million in grants to improve the safety and efficiency of air travel.

The seventh round of Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) were awarded to 129 airports in 40 states. Part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the funding will help airports improve through terminal expansions, baggage system upgrades, runway safety enhancements and air traffic infrastructure improvements.

“Americans are flying in record numbers, and the Biden-Harris Administration continues to invest in our airports to make travel safer and more convenient for the people who pass through these airports each day,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “This latest round of funding will support key improvements to terminals, runways, and baggage systems and build on the work this Administration is doing to modernize our aviation infrastructure.”

The grants come at an unprecedented surge in air travel. In June, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened nearly 3 million passengers in a single day at airport, a record. TSA expects to screen more than 32 million individuals over the Fourth of July holiday travel season – a 5.4 percent increase over last year’s volume.

Among the airports receiving funding were Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona, which got $66.7 million for a new 2,100-foot taxiway to accommodate more flights. Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania received $22.2 million to rehabilitate a taxiway. And Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport received $30.1 million to reconstruct a runway.

“We’re seeing where our investments are making a real difference for communities across the nation,” FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta R. Griffin, P.E., said. “I encourage airports to take advantage of this opportunity to build modern facilities that are accessible, safe, resilient to climate change impacts and achieve environmental sustainability.”

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