Biden’s Parting Gift to U.S. Airports - USD332 Million in Grants

Kevin Rozario

London

January 15, 2025

mod Phoenix Sky Harbor with American jet

Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona.

© City of Phoenix Aviation Department

Just days before the Biden-Harris administration leaves office to make way for Donald Trump’s team, it has announced more than US$332 million in grants to modernize airports in 32 states via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) outlined 171 grants through its Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) program. Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included $25 billion over five years for airport and air traffic control (ATC) improvements. 

The AIG funds can be used for airport planning, development, sustainability, terminal expansions, baggage system upgrades, runway safety enhancements, and noise compatibility projects. The map below shows the locations that are getting the grants and you can click here for a more detailed interactive map and see the exact figures.

mod FAA grant allocation

Where airport infrastructure grants have gone.

© FAA

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said: “We are using funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make historic investments in our airports to address a backlog of needs and accommodate growing air travel demand.”

Today’s funding comes from one of three aviation grant programs created by Biden. To date, nearly $12 billion of the $15 billion total of AIG funding has been made available to airports across all 50 states. Some of these investments have already been completed, and others are still underway.

A Broad Range of Projects

Airports currently receiving funding over US$1 million include:  

  • US$84.3 million to Arizona’s Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to construct a new 2,100-foot Taxiway U and bridge to accommodate more aircraft operations

  • US$18.8 million to Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport in Alaska to expand the terminal to serve more passengers and to rehabilitate a storage building for snow removal equipment

  • US$6.7 million to Florida’s Tallahassee International Airport for two new taxiways and associated lighting

  • US$3.9 million to Hector International Airport in North Dakota for an existing terminal expansion and to add four new gates

  • US$2.6 million to Colorado’s Telluride Regional Airport to install new navigational aids to enhance safety and to construct a new south apron and taxiway. 

 

mod Telluride Airport

Telluride Regional Airport in Colorado.

© Telluride Regional Airport (KTEX)

Projects from earlier grant announcements have been completed or are nearing completion. Some examples are:

  • Jonesboro Municipal Airport in Arkansas which received US$2.5 million to strengthen a runway to handle heavier aircraft

  • US$300,000 to Kentucky’s Madisonville Regional Airport for a runway upgrade and better taxiway lighting

  • Scottsdale Airport in Arizona which was awarded $760,000 to move a taxiway.

Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is said to have made a historic investment in America’s infrastructure, not just airports but also roads, bridges, and ports. As well as the grant programs to airports, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), under Buttigieg’s leadership, increased airline oversight.

The department issued over US$225 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations between January 2021 and January 2025. Between 1996 and 2020, USDOT collectively issued just $70 million in penalties for such violations.

The two biggest penalties were US$140 million against Southwest Airlines for its 2022 disruption during Winter Storm Elliot and US$50 million against American Airlines for discrimination against passengers with disabilities last year.