EDITOR:
The Kansas City International Airport will receive federal money through theAirport Improvement Program (AIP). I received notification from U.S.Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao that the Kansas City airport will be receiving just over $2.7 million through the program to reconstruct runway lighting.
Kansas City International is the largest airport in my district and enables millions of Missourians to travel around both the country and the world every year. The Airport Improvement Program plays a vital role in maintaining the continued existence of our airports and ensuring they are able to make important safety upgrades. With the passage of the CARES Act, this AIP grant will receive full federal funding and won’t be required to meet a match. This is even more important as cities and airports are faced with less revenue due to the coronavirus. I’m thrilled to see KCI be one of the first to benefit from this CARES Act change and receive this important funding.
Kansas City International Airport will receive an AIP discretionary grant for $2,077,500. The required local match is $692,500. However, that will also be federally-funded per the CARES Act. Eliminating the local share will allow critical safety and capacity projects to continue as planned regardless of airport sponsors’ current financial circumstances.
KCI will also receive just over $43 million from the previously-announcedCARES Act Airport Grant program to deal with the prevention of, preparation for, and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those funds are available for airport capital expenditures, airport operating expenses including payroll and utilities, and airport debt payments.
The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) provides grants to public agencies -and, in some cases, to private owners and entities – for the planning and development of public-use airports that are included in the National Plan ofIntegrated Airport Systems (NPIAS).
–Sam Graves, Congressman, Sixth District