FAA Provides $8 Billion in Airport Rescue Grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will award $8 billion in grants to keep U.S. airport workers employed, construction projects going and help U.S. airports recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The funding for the grants comes from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which President Biden signed into law in March 2021.

“The Airport Rescue Grants keep workers employed and help the aviation sector recover as more Americans get vaccinated and begin traveling again,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These grants are part of the Administration’s commitment to build back a better and safer transportation system throughout our country.”

The funding provides economic relief to eligible commercial service, reliever, and general aviation airports. The money will help keep people safe and employed by reimbursing operational expenses, debt service payments, and costs related to combating the spread of pathogens at the airport. Airports can also use the money to provide rent relief to in-terminal retail and concession companies. The funding requires that airports continue to employ at least 90 percent of their pre-pandemic employees for those airports that cover a majority of the traveling public.

Primary commercial service airports will share approximately $6.5 billion based on the number of annual boardings.

An additional $800 million will be available to primary commercial service airports for providing relief to in-terminal airport concessions from rent and minimum annual guarantees including $640 million for relief to small concessions and $160 million for relief to large airport concessions.

Non-primary commercial service and general aviation airports will share $100 million based on their airport categories, such as national, regional, local, and basic.

The remaining funds of the $8 billion will be used to cover an airport’s cost-share portion on grants through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program as well as the supplemental discretionary grants. This means airports will likely not have to pay their portion of a given project.

Among the hundreds of airports receiving funding include:

Philadelphia International: $115 million

Yeager Airport, Charlestown, W.Va.: $3.2 million

Ted Stevens Anchorage International: $44.4 million

Gulfport-Biloxi International: $4.9 million

St. Louis Lambert International: $56.2 million

Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine: $10.4 million

Daniel K Inouye International: $74.3 million

Raleigh-Durham International: $50.6 million

Seattle-Tacoma International: $175.7 million

Portland International: $72 million