By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-09-04 14:39:46 | Updated at 2026-09-04 16:28:47
1 hour ago
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is disbursing 191 grants worth $481 million in a bid to improve airport infrastructure and safety.
The grants will be delivered to airports located in 36 states and two territories, the Department of Transportation (DOT) said in a Sept. 3 statement.
The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia stands to get $100 million, with the funds going toward runway safety area improvements and taxiway, terminal, and runway reconstruction.
Kentucky’s Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport will get $32.5 million, to be used for rebuilding a terminal, while the San Diego International Airport in California is expected to receive $30.3 million for terminal construction.
The FAA will grant $14.2 million for taxiway construction and rehabilitation at Wisconsin’s Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.
About $8.7 million will be awarded to El Paso International Airport in Texas for improving the site’s apron.
In addition, general aviation airports in Wisconsin are to get $2.5 million for terminal reconstruction and other purposes.
The funds come from the Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) program funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law in 2021.
The Act set aside $14.5 billion for the program to be distributed over five years beginning fiscal year 2022.
Out of the $14.5 billion, more than $7.46 billion was already granted during fiscal years 2022–2025.
In fiscal year 2026, more than $3 billion in grants have been announced.
DOT said in its recent statement that AIG funding can be used for various airport infrastructure initiatives, including baggage systems and safety-related infrastructure.
“From our regional hubs to some of America’s busiest airports, we are investing in critical infrastructure that will provide American families with a more seamless, efficient travel experience for years to come,” Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in the statement.
“Upgrading our runway infrastructure is part of our work to usher in the Golden Age of Transportation.”
The investments come as multiple incidents at airports have been tied to issues with infrastructure.
For instance, in 2025, the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey had critical communication outages due to issues with aging FAA telecom infrastructure.
In March 2026, an Air Canada jet and a fire truck had a fatal collision at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport after a runway warning system failed to trigger an alarm before the accident.
During a House hearing in March 2025, Heather Krause, managing director of physical infrastructure at the Government Accountability Office, said that an FAA evaluation found 51 out of 138 air traffic control systems in the country to be “unsustainable,” with an additional 54 deemed to be “potentially unsustainable.”
On July 15, a coalition of more than 50 aviation organizations sent a letter to Congressional leaders, requesting $20 billion in funding for the Brand-New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) initiative, an air traffic control (ATC) modernization effort.
Modernizing the United States’ ATC is a “national imperative,” the letter said.
“Enhancing the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS) is long overdue and will ensure the continued flow of people and commerce to maintain America’s global leadership role in aviation and aerospace.”
The DOT announced on Sept. 2 that the 100th Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) tool has been installed.
SAI is an aircraft and vehicle surveillance tool aimed at improving safety in the aviation sector.
According to the DOT, the tool allows air traffic controllers to track aircraft and vehicles in real-time, even when weather conditions are poor and in situations where the control tower cannot see an aircraft.
With the installation, almost half of the targeted SAI improvements at 220 airports have been completed.
“SAI is vital for controllers. It gives them the big picture of the airport’s surface right at their fingertips,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in the statement.
“For our controllers to work at their best, they need the technology to match their expertise.”
