The Biden administration on Thursday announced the first $1 billion in grants to improve airport terminals around the United States with funding from the new infrastructure law.

What You Need To Know

  • The Biden administration on Thursday announced the first $1 billion in federal infrastructure grants to improve airport terminals around the United States

  • The first wave of grants will go to 85 airports for projects like adding new gates and terminals, improving energy efficiency, adding air traffic control towers and making terminals accessible to people with disabilities

  • Projects are expected to get underway in the beginning of fiscal year 2023 at the latest, said FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta Griffin

  • The grant program was highly competitive out of the gate, Griffin noted, with more than 650 applications totaling $14 billion in requests

The first wave of grants will go to 85 airports for projects like adding new gates and terminals, improving energy efficiency, adding air traffic control towers and making terminals accessible to people with disabilities. You can view a map of every airport that received funding for improvements here on the FAA website.

The Federal Aviation Administration awarded this first $1 billion in grants as part of the $5 billion in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for airport terminals, designed to be disbursed over five years.

"It's going to help meet future demand," said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "It's going to help make air travel safer, more accessible and more efficient. And it's going to create a lot of good jobs in communities of all sizes." 

Projects are expected to get underway in the beginning of fiscal year 2023 at the latest, FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta Griffin told Spectrum News on a call with reporters.

“These are projects that you will see immediate action on,” Griffin said.

Demand for air travel has returned as the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided in the last several months. Bookings are up 4% from the same time in 2019, according to an analysis by Adobe Analytics. And Americans have recently reported more air travel snafus such as delays and cancellations.

Buttigieg told reporters that these terminal improvements should help disruptions down the line, pointing to things like improved security checkpoints and air traffic control equipment.

“All of this adds up to a better-supported, more resilient system for the long term,” he said.

The grant program was highly competitive out of the gate, Griffin noted, with more than 650 applications totaling $14 billion in requests. 

“We certainly made sure that we looked at projects that were ready for construction,” she explained.

Airports that did not receive or apply for funding this time around can seek money as more opportunities arise throughout the five-year program, officials said.

Some of the projects highlighted by the Biden administration include:

  • Orlando International Airport (Florida): $50 million for four new gates. The project also provides [Americans with Disabilities Act]-compliant facilities and achieves LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, the White House said.

  • Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (Texas): $35 million to construct an electrical utility plant to help the airport reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

  • Austin Bergstrom International Airport (Texas): $15 million to immediately expand capacity and infill for future expansion, plus improve access with hearing loops, wayfinding, multi-lingual assistance and ADA-compliant elements

  • Dexter Regional Airport (Maine): $760,000 to build a new 800-square-foot terminal building to replace the 50-year-old 200-square-foot terminal, including ADA-compliant and energy efficient elements.

  • Asheville Regional Airport (North Carolina): $15 million to construct a new air traffic control tower. This project replaces an existing 61-year-old air traffic control tower with a new, expanded facility, according to the White House. It will also help expand and renovate the existing terminal building.

  • Los Angeles International Airport (California): Reconstruction and modernization of about 40,000 linear feet of terminal roadway system.