CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice and leaders with the West Virginia Aeronautics Commission announced today that a combined total of $649,980 in grant funding has been secured for airports across the state.
The grants were approved during the WVAC’s latest meeting yesterday.
“I’ve said so often that our airports are the lifeblood of our communities in West Virginia. They fuel everything from our economy, to visitation and tourism, and the ripple effect they bring us off-the-charts,” Gov. Justice said. “That’s why I’m excited that we are once again able to deliver this kind of funding to support all of our state’s airports and the much-needed projects that are going to help them continue to improve their operations. It’s an investment that’s going to bring more and more goodness to all of us.”
Five airports will receive grants from Special Revenue, provided by the Aviation Fuel Tax, to provide a portion of the local match for additional Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants:
- Huntington Tri-State Airport will receive $81,032 from the WVAC to go toward a project to reconstruct a taxiway and taxiway lighting.
- Yeager Airport in Charleston will receive $33,734 from the WVAC to go towards projects to rebuild the runway safety area, reconstruct taxiway lighting, and improve upon energy efficiency of their operations.
- Greenbrier Valley Airport will receive $59,285 from the WVAC to go towards projects to rehabilitate apron, conduct a drainage study, and reconstruct taxiway lighting.
- Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport will receive $44,802 from the WVAC to go towards energy efficient LED lighting upgrades.
- Braxton County Airport will receive $6,128 from the WVAC to help construct a T-Hangar.
The combined WVAC grant total on these projects is $224,980 and opens up access to over $6.6 million more in funding from the FAA.
Also, each of the state’s 24 airports will receive General Revenue grants of $12,500 apiece, for a combined total of $300,000. These grants go towards safety and infrastructure upgrades.
In addition to airport funding, $125,000 in funds were awarded towards Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) training for airport first responders.
“We thank Governor Justice for recognizing that airports are struggling with the impact COVID-19 has had on air travel, and for his continued support of the entire aviation community,” Aeronautics Director Sean Hill said. “Airports are a critical component to West Virginia’s transportation infrastructure. The grants awarded will help to lift airports up.”
