$14.3M in federal grant funds awarded to Kahului Airport for apron light replacement to enhance safety

Today, the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration announced $1.9 billion for 519 grants in 48 states, Guam, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, in its fifth announcement under the Airport Improvement Program. 

An additional $269 million was also announced in FY 2023 Supplemental Discretionary Grants to fund 62 projects at 56 US airports. This competitive grant program under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) assists airport owners and operators in the development and improvement of our nation’s airport system.

Four Hawaiʻi projects are included in the funding announcement. They are:

• Mauiʻs Kahului Airport (OGG) will receive $14.3 million in AIP supplemental grant funds for apron light replacement for enhanced safety.
• Ellison Onizuka Kona International at Keahole (KOA) Kailua Kona, Hawaii $15,037,617 in AIP funds to rehabilitate the runway.
• Hilo International (ITO) Hilo, Hawaii $11,105,706 in AIP funds to reconstruct runway lighting
• Honolulu, Hawaiʻi $2,000,000 in AIP funds to update state and regional system plans

“The Biden-Harris Administration is funding projects across the country that are making airports safer and more efficient for the passengers who travel through them and for the airport and airline employees who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make these complex systems run as smoothly as possible,”said US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “The grants we’re announcing today will improve airfield operations for dozens of airports and help ensure the US retains its global leadership in aviation.”

This fifth round of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants, the largest announcement in program history, funds a variety of projects including airport safety and sustainability improvements and airport noise reduction in airports of all sizes and across all parts of the country. For the first time, the grants include funding for the testing of technologies to reduce, mitigate, and remove contaminants caused by Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals” which can contaminate air, water, and soil, and are harmful to human health.

“Today, we invest in our future – enhancing safety, improving sustainability and ensuring our infrastructure meets the needs of the traveling public,” saidFAA Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta R. Griffin, P.E. “This funding helps ensure traveler safety, reduces the environmental impacts on communities, and builds more resilient airports nationally.”