FAA Approves $1.1 Billion in Grants to Upgrade Airport Infrastructure Across 46 States and Three Territories

The Federal Aviation Administration will distribute $1.1 billion through 280 grants to airports across 46 states and three territories, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced on September 14. The funding comes through the Airport Improvement Program, backed by the FAA's Airport and Airway Trust Fund, and covers runways, taxiways, airport signage, lighting, and markings, with eligibility based on annual passenger volume.

The grants target runway reconstruction, terminal projects, and safety tool investments. Among the specific awards, $10.9 million will equip 3,000 airport vehicles with tracking devices at 61 airports, allowing air traffic controllers to monitor vehicles on runways and taxiways through systems known as Vehicle Movement Area Transmitters. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the grants will let airports deploy VMATs that give controllers greater situational awareness of aircraft and vehicles moving on the airport surface, adding that this gives controllers the tools they need to safely manage an increasingly complex National Airspace System.

Other notable grants include $30.7 million to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for runway work and $18.9 million to Shreveport Regional Airport in Louisiana for terminal expansion, along with family-friendly facility upgrades. The announcement follows a separate $481 million investment earlier in September through the Airport Infrastructure Grants program, part of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with the AIP and AIG serving as two distinct funding streams for airport planning and development.

The VMAT investment comes after a Canada Air Express aircraft collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York in March, killing two pilots.