Resource Center: Airports

Overview

The IIJA provides an investment of $25 billion in airports through three programs. From 2017 to 2020, Congress provided approximately $15 billion for airports through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization and supplemental appropriations. This additional $25 billion provided by the IIJA would equate to about $5 billion over existing spending levels per year for the next five years.

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Legislation Summary

Of the $25 billion aviation investment included in the IIJA, $5 billion would be provided to FAA for air traffic control facility improvements. Additionally, $15 billion would be provided in formula grants for “airside” developments such as runways and taxiways. The $15 billion in supplemental appropriations for the Airport Improvement Program would be allocated at $3 billion annually from FY 2022 – FY 2026. Funding would be available for the following three years after the year it was provided.

Finally, $5 billion would be provided for a new discretionary grant program for terminal development and connections. Of this funding, 55% is reserved for large hub airports, 15% for medium hub airports, 20% for small hub airports, and 10% for non-hub and nonprimary airports. FAA defines “non-hub” as an airport that receives less than .05% but more than 10,000 of the annual U.S. commercial enplanements. This funding is for terminal development projects, with a special focus on replacing aging infrastructure, increasing capacity and passenger access, achieving Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, improving airport access for historically disadvantaged populations, achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation, improving airfield safety through terminal relocation, and more. The federal cost share is 80% for large and medium hub airports and 95% for small hub, non-hub, and non-primary airports.

To address infrastructure resiliency, the IIJA:

Provides $100 million annually over five years for the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act. ASCE strongly advocated for increased appropriations for the STORM Act, which was enacted earlier this year and created a Resilience Revolving Loan Fund.
Makes an additional $1 billion available in grants for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program. BRIC, which ASCE continues to strongly advocate for, is FEMA’s pre-disaster hazard mitigation program that replaces the existing Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program.

Report Card Wins

The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – IIJA – represents a historic, once-in-a-generation investment in our roads, bridges, water and wastewater networks, ports, electric grid, dams, and more. It increases funding, makes smart improvements to policy such as streamlining permitting, and creates new programs targeted at all 17 categories in the 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. The bill is a significant down payment on the $2.5 trillion infrastructure investment gap that was identified in the 2021 Report Card and will benefit American businesses and families for years to come.

In aviation, ASCE made a number of recommendations that address fluctuation in passenger travel, capacity enhancements, funding enhancements, support for new technologies, and the need for strategic balance between infrastructure investment, enhanced safety measures, and technological improvements, both in investment and long-term planning. IIJA addresses some of these concerns by providing a $25 billion investment in airports, including $5 billion to FAA for air traffic control facility improvements, $15 billion in formula grants through AIP for “airside” developments, and $5 billion for a new discretionary grant program for terminal development and connections.