Today, Governor Roy Cooper and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced at an event that four North Carolina airports are among those that will receive federal grants totaling nearly $1 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The funds from the Federal Aviation Administration will help modernize 114 airports nationwide so they can better meet the growing demand for air travel and improve air travel for passengers while creating good-paying jobs for airport workers.
“We’re grateful to the Biden administration and our federal partners in Congress for helping us improve air travel in North Carolina,” Cooper said alongside Buttigieg at Thursday’s announcement at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. “More people depend on air travel than ever before and it’s important that we work together to make lasting investments to deliver the transportation services people want and need.”
In North Carolina, airports in Charlotte, the Triangle, Wilmington and Spruce Pine were awarded a total of $45 million as part of Thursday’s announcement. The grants for the Tar Heel airports are as follows:
- $27 million to Charlotte Douglas International Airport to replace up to 16 passenger board bridges and associated ground power units and pre-conditioned air units.
- $12 million to Raleigh-Durham International Airport to fund part of the Terminal 2 security checkpoint, baggage claim and the expansion of the federal inspection station.
- $4 million to Wilmington International Airport to fund a portion of the terminal access road and terminal curb front expansion and realignment.
- $2 million to the Avery County Airport in Spruce Pine to help fund construction of a new general aviation terminal building to meet existing and future demand.
Gov. Cooper emphasized how these investments are vital to North Carolina, where aviation improves the economy and quality of life for the state where air travel started over 120 years ago. North Carolina’s 72 public airports contribute $72 billion to the state’s economy, support 330,000 jobs and return $3.7 billion state and local tax revenues.
Investments enhancing the passenger experience include new baggage systems, larger security checkpoints, increasing gate capacity, and modernizing aging infrastructure throughout terminals and ground transportation. These investments further increase terminal sustainability and improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
Today’s funding is from the Airport Terminal Program, one of three aviation programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and comes on the heels of more than $240 million in funding for Airport Infrastructure Grants. The law provides $1 billion annually for five years for Airport Terminal Program grants. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making an historic investment of over $415 billion to improve the nation’s roads, bridges, rail, public transit and its ports and airports.
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