$970 Million Awarded to U.S. Airports to Improve Facilities

11/13/2024

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will award $970 million to 125 U.S. airports. The money from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be spread across 46 states, Guam and Palau. 

Traditionally, the FAA would invest in runways, air traffic-control towers or back-of-house infrastructure. However, the law included a new program that aims to improve the passenger experience. This includes improving accessibility for passengers with disabilities and creating sustainable solutions. In addition, the funding includes new baggage systems, larger security checkpoints, increasing gate capacity and modernizing aging infrastructure throughout terminals and ground transportation. 

My grant recipients will use the funding to build new or expand terminal facilities. Among them include:  

• $40 million to Tampa International Airport in Florida to connect Terminal D to the main terminal with an automated people mover and add nine passenger boarding bridges to move passengers through more efficiently. 
• $15 million to Denver International Airport in Colorado to reconstruct the baggage handling system including the oversized baggage lift replacements to increase efficiency and capacity. 
• $3.6 million to Des Moines International Airport in Iowa to construct four new terminal gates and a waiting area. 
• $1.5 million to Purdue University Airport in Lafayette, Indiana, to replace an 80-year-old terminal and meet Americans with Disability Act (ADA) requirements. 
• $1 million to Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport in Alaska for the remodel and expansion of the existing terminal building that includes a passenger waiting area. 

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Meanwhile, some grants will be used to increase terminal sustainability. This includes: 

• $10 million to General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, for a new energy-efficient air conditioning system in Terminal B.     
• $9 million to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Guam to fund the terminal roof project, which includes the installation and integration of a renewable energy system, including solar photovoltaic panels and components for the safe storage and output of energy to the airport terminal.  
• $3 million to Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina to fund a solar photovoltaic array installation and battery electrical storage system to provide a sustainable and resilient power source for the airport terminal.