Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration announced it will award $245.9 million in Fiscal Year 2024 Airport Infrastructure Grants. The latest funding announcement includes 153 grants in 37 states to modernize airport infrastructure.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $15 billion in airport infrastructure funding in all which airports can invest in critical infrastructure improvements including runways and taxiways, and terminal improvements. It also funds safety and sustainability projects to address airports’ environmental commitments, airport-transit connections and roadway projects. The FAA has made $2.89 billion available to U.S. airports in financial year 2024.
“We saw a record number of passengers fly during the recent holiday season, and we can expect increased demand for air travel to continue,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These investments from the Biden-Harris administration are making it possible to modernize our country’s aging airport infrastructure to meet this demand today and ensure safe, efficient travel into the future.”
Some of the top awards announced include:
- $2.2 million to Willow Run Airport in Van Buren Township, Michigan, to construct an 8,617-foot parallel Taxiway so aircraft awaiting take-off don’t need to back-taxi on the runway.
- $2 million to Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin to rehabilitate an existing on-airport roadway. This improved road will serve aircraft rescue firefighting trucks, airport vehicles, and ground service equipment.
- $45 million to Dallas-Fort Worth International in Texas to restore 13,400 feet of runway.
- $18 million to Sitka Rocky Gutierrez in Alaska to expand the existing terminal building by 16,000 square feet making more room for passengers.
An independent survey conducted by Censuswide for airport technology firm AeroCloud last year revealed that U.S. airport leaders are worried about generating enough revenue for improvements as passenger numbers rise. According to the survey of 100 senior U.S. airport leaders:
- 51% of U.S. airports haven’t recovered pre-pandemic revenue.
- 89% will seek federal support to meet the gap.
Funding Supports Infrastructure, Air Safety, and Passenger Experience
The most recent grants announced by the FAA also focus on enhancing aviation safety. Several grants will help reduce runway incursion risk by funding taxiway reconstruction to avoid pilot confusion, new lighting systems, and more airfield flexibility to manage aircraft traffic.
“Collectively, these grants help airports across the nation make timely improvements to key critical infrastructure, which ensures passengers have a safe, efficient and enjoyable experience as they travel,” said FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta R. Griffin, P.E.
Other notable grants include funding additional runway space and expansions of terminal buildings to give passengers more room. Around $1.7 million will be used to construct or improve airport fuel farms, $2.1 million goes to aircraft rescue and firefighting, and $70 million will go to terminal projects at 11 airports.
Airports Need $151 Billion For Infrastructure
Airports Council International – North America has reported that U.S. airports need $151 billion over the next five years to cover infrastructure improvements. They need to fill the gap between grants and demand by raising revenue. Many are transforming their businesses, attracting concessionaires and improving efficiency to reduce operating costs.
ACI-NA also asks for a government review of the Passenger Facility Charge, which is currently capped at $4.50 per passenger.
“Although nearly all U.S. airports are owned by state or local governments, airports are required by the federal government to be as self-sustaining as possible, and thus receive little or no direct taxpayer support. This means that airports must operate like businesses – funding their operations from their revenue, and responsibly planning funding for major improvement projects – which can often be very expensive,” the Association states.
Five U.S. Airports Are World’s Busiest, One is World’s Top On-Time Performer
Despite their funding challenges, U.S. airports serve millions of passengers every day and out-perform their peers. According to aviation data firm OAG, five of the world’s busiest airports by combined international and domestic seats were located in the U.S.
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson ranked first in the world and top in the U.S. in 2023, with 61 million airline seats booked at the airport. The airport retained its top world ranking position from 2019, though seats were still 3% short of 2019 levels. Hartsfield-Jackson benefited from $90,951,552 in FAA AIP grants in financial year 2022, which went to reconstructing the apron and improving terminal buildings.
Dallas Fort Worth Airport, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, ranked fifth worldwide and second in the U.S. with 48 million seats in 2023. It rose from the No. 13 position in the ranking in 2019, with seat growth of 10%. FAA data shows that DFW was awarded $63,882,202 in grants for financial year 2022, and $63,230,059 for financial year 2023 to support runway rehabilitiation, building construction and aircraft rescue and fire fighting facilities. That is in addition to the $45,000,000 just announced for financial year 2024 for runway works.
Denver International ranked No. 6 in the world in and third in the U.S. in 2023, with 46.7 million seats. It rose from No. 21 in the list in 2019, with seats increasing by 17%. The FAA granted Denver $62,290,184 in financial year 2022 and $58,846,917 in financial year 2023 for various projects to reconstruct the apron and taxiway, improve drainage and control erosion, and improve runway and taxiway lighting.
Los Angeles International Airport was the No. 8 busiest airport in the world in 2023, and fourth busiest in the U.S., with 44.5 million seats. This was a drop from its previous No. 5 ranking in 2019, with a 14% decrease in seats. The FAA granted LAX $79,278,162 in 2022 to improve the access road.
Chicago O’Hare ranked No. 9 on OAG’s busiest airports in the world for 2023, with 43.7 million seats. Like Los Angeles, seats booked through Chicago are 14% below 2019 levels. O’Hare ranked No. 6 on the OAG list in 2019. The airport did not receive FAA grants over the past three years, though the FAA has allotted funding available.
It is notable that no U.S. airport ranked on OAG’s top ten list for international traffic. This reflects strong domestic flight demand in the U.S. In other words, U.S. airport improvements largely benefit U.S. flyers.
Data firm Cirrium published its top-on time performers for 2023 earlier this month, ranking Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as the most on-time airport worldwide in 2023. The airport had 84.44% of its 289,817 flights departing within 15 minutes of their scheduled time. According to FAA data, the airport benefited from AIP grants of $35,517,905 in Financial Year 2022 and $8,487,146 in Financial Year 2023. The grants funded apron reconstruction, as well as reconstruction of the de-icing pad and facilities, and the taxiway. Funding also supported improvements to the terminal building.
Salt Lake City International Airport earned a notable fifth place in the Cirrium global ranking of top on-time performers, with 83.99% of its 226,705 flights departing on time. Salt Lake City benefited from a $6 million AIP grant in 2022 to reconstruct its taxiway.
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