Indiana airports to share in $970M for improvements
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
The Biden administration said Thursday it is providing $970 million for improvements at 114 airports around the country, with work ranging from wider concourses and new baggage-handling systems to new terminals at some small airfields. Three Indiana airports are among those receiving funding.
Administration officials said the money comes from a $5 billion grant program to modernize airport terminals.
Fort Wayne International Airport is receiving $21.8 million for a variety of terminal improvements, including modernized HVAC units, insulation, and lighting, as well as improved access for passengers and increasing taxiway separation to the terminal.
The airport is in the midst of a $70 million expansion and renovation of its East Terminal, which is slated for completion in June 2025. A similar project at the airport’s West Terminal was completed last year.
Evansville Regional Airport will receive $3.4 million to replace outdated HVAC equipment, lighting and passenger access systems. Meanwhile, Huntingburg Regional Airport is receiving $3.3 million that will go toward construction of a new, $6 million terminal building that was announced last year.
The largest sum, $50 million, will go to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida for a project to connect terminals behind the security checkpoints and provide new retail space and other amenities.
O’Hare International Airport in Chicago will get $40 million to widen a concourse, reconfigure a security checkpoint and other changes. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia, San Francisco International and Los Angeles International will receive amounts ranging from $31 million to $36 million.
A Federal Aviation Administration official said there were more than 600 applications and requests totaled $14 billion.
The administration has gone to great lengths to promote new and proposed protections for air travelers — seeing airlines as an easy target of consumer frustration.
President Joe Biden has railed against fees that some airlines charge to let families sit together. The Transportation Department published an online “dashboard” to prod airlines to commit to improving customer service.
“Another part of that better travel experience is to invest in our physical infrastructure, to improve the airports,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in discussing the airport grants with reporters.
Last month, the Transportation Department announced $244 million in grants for improvements to other airport facilities including runways and taxiways.