Airport Improvement Program, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Programs, and COVID-19 Airports Programs

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has several strategic goals: Safety, People, Global Leadership, and Operational excellence. The FAA Office of Airports (ARP) grant programs described in this listing contribute to these goals, as outlined in

The annual Airport Improvement Program (AIP) assists sponsors, owners, or operators of public-use airports in the development of a nationwide system of airports adequate to meet the needs of civil aeronautics and the flying public. The purpose of the law includes the investment in transportation, environmental protection, and airport infrastructure that will support long-term economic benefits. AIP funds airport infrastructure investments. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 provides once-in-a-generation investments in infrastructure projects at airports across the country. IIJA will modernize infrastructure, strength the supply chain, and create jobs. Included under this Assistance Listing are COVID-relief grant programs through which FAA administered funds as prescribed by Congress under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. While both the CARES and ARPA programs have active grants, in FY 2025, neither programs are accepting new grant applications.

States, counties, municipalities, U.S. Territories and possessions, and other public agencies including an Indian tribe or pueblo, the Republics of the Marshall Islands and Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia are eligible for airport development grants if the airport on which the development is required is listed in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). Certain local government organizations may be eligible for grants to implement noise planning and compatibility projects. Private owners of public-use reliever airports or airports having at least 2,500 passengers boarding annually and receiving scheduled passenger aircraft service may also be eligible. CARES and ARPA state that only sponsors of airports in categories defined in 49 U.S.C. 47102 are eligible. Airports in U.S. territories (American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam) are included in the NPIAS and are eligible. Airports in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and Midway Island are not included in the NPIAS. While these airport sponsors may be eligible for some AIP discretionary funding, they are not eligible under CARES, and ARPA. Due to some airports receiving four times their annual operating expenses in relief under the CARES Act based on formula calculations, these same airports were not granted funding under ARPA. For IIJA funded programs eligible airport sponsors are those normally eligible for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) discretionary grants as defined in 49 U.S.C. §47115. This includes a public agency, private entity, state agency, Indian Tribe or Pueblo owning a public-use NPIAS airport, and outside of NPIAS: the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and the Secretary of the Interior for Midway Island Airport.

The grant program benefits all the eligible applicants listed in this Assistance Listing (states, counties, municipalities, U.S. Territories and possessions, and other public agencies including an Indian tribe or pueblo, the Republics of the Marshall Islands and Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and private owners of reliever airports or airports having at least 2,500 passenger boarding annually and receiving scheduled passenger aircraft service), as well as the entities listed under beneficiary eligibility. For IIJA funded programs eligible airport sponsors are those normally eligible for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) discretionary grants as defined in 49 U.S.C. §47115. This includes a public agency, private entity, state agency, Indian Tribe or Pueblo owning a public-use NPIAS airport, and outside of NPIAS: the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau and the Secretary of the Interior for Midway Island Airport.

How assistance may be used, described in this sequence: AIP, Covid relief, IIJA. AIP Grants can be made for integrated airport system planning in a specific area and airport master planning, construction, or rehabilitation at a public-use airport or portion thereof. Authorizing legislation refers to an airport as any area of land or water used or intended to be used for landing or taking off of aircraft and includes, within five categories of airports listed below, special types of facilities such as seaplane bases and heliports. The statute defines airports by categories which include: commercial service, primary, cargo service, reliever, general aviation airports - defined in Chapter 4, Section 4.5 of AIP Handbook (FAA Order 5100.38D.) General aviation (GA): defined as public airports that are not commercial service airports, and these comprise largest single group of airports in the U.S. airport system. Eligible work at airports consists of: (1)airport master plans;(2)airport noise compatibility plans;(3)land acquisition;(4)site preparation;(5)construction, alteration, and rehabilitation of runways, taxiways, aprons, and certain roads within airport boundaries; (6)construction and installation of airfield lighting, navigational aids, certain related offsite work;(7)safety equipment required for certification of airport facility;(8)security equipment required of the sponsor by Secretary of Transportation by rule or regulation for the safety and security of persons and property on the airport;(9)snow-removal equipment;(10) terminal development;(11)aviation-related weather reporting equipment;(12)equipment to measure runway surface friction;(13)firefighting burn area training structures and land for that purpose, on or off airport; (14)agency-approved noise compatibility projects;(15)relocation of air traffic control towers and navigational aids (including radar) if they impede other projects funded by AIP;(16) land, paving, drainage, aircraft deicing equipment and structures for centralized deicing areas; and(17)projects to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act. Under limited criteria, aircraft hangar construction and automobile parking lots are eligible. Grants for hangars and parking facilities are available on a limited basis based on funding. Grants may not be made for buildings not related to the safety of persons on the airport, decorative landscaping or artwork, or routine maintenance and repair. Technical advisory services are also provided for on a project need basis. CARES grants fund costs related to paying off debt, reimbursing payroll, paying utilities, and routine operations and maintenance. In some situations, these grants can be used for construction projects on airport property. All airport expenses, including construction, must be in line with FAA's Revenue Use Policy. ARPA grants fund costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial servicing, combating spread of pathogens, and debt service payments. Providing rent and minimum annual guarantee (MAG) relief for in-terminal Concessions. Construction projects using ARPA funds must be limited to combating spread of pathogens, such as upgraded HVAC systems, terminal reconfigurations for social distancing, facilities to accommodate health screening, etc. Under IIJA Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG), airport sponsor may use these funds for airport-related projects defined under 49U.S.C.40117(a)(3), with exception of debt service. Under IIJA Airport Terminal Program (ATP), funds can be used for justified terminal development projects as defined under 49U.S.C.47102(28), including multi-modal projects, and on-airport rail access projects, as outlined in 86 FR 48793 (PFC Update75-21). Also eligible: Projects for relocating, reconstructing, repairing, or improving an airport owned control tower. Under IIJA FCT, only airport owned towers in the FAA Contract Tower Program are eligible.

Projects are expected to be completed as expeditiously as possible, and periods of performance are a maximum of 4 years starting from the date of grant award execution. Most airports complete projects within two to three years of grant award.

An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. An environmental impact assessment is required for this program. Alternative environmental reporting and documentation may be acceptable based upon the project type.

IIJA AIG (Airport Infrastructure Grant) formula and AIP supported projects considered by the FAA Administrator to be necessary to provide for a safe and efficient airport system and to meet the current and projected growth of civil aeronautics will be considered for selection. The airports at which AIP projects are proposed must be included in the National Plan of Integrated Airports Systems (NPIAS). Any additional program selection criteria are outlined in Federal Register Notices and Notices of Funding Availability. IIJA ATP (Airport Terminal Program) and FCT (FAA Contract Tower Program) programs have more specific project eligibility and selection criteria as outlined in the respective Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Upon program approval for development projects, applicant submits project application, SF 424, Part I (facesheet) and remaining parts of FAA Form 5100-100 to the appropriate FAA field office. Master planning, noise compatibility, and system planning grant applications are submitted to the FAA field offices and, upon approval, grant offers are made. Either the District or Regional Office prepares the agency's Grant Offer, FAA Form 5100-37, for planning and development projects for execution by the grant applicant.

Sponsors must formally accept grant offers no later than September 30 for grant funds appropriated in that fiscal year. IIJA AIG funds allocations are posted annually and available in the first quarter of each individual FY through FY2026. There is no specific application deadline but the allocations are only available to the airport for 4 years. For IIJA ATP and FCT competitive discretionary programs the application deadlines are outlined in the annual Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) - NOFOs will be issued annually for available funds through FY2026. Application deadlines for COVID-19 Airports Programs: For CARES: while there was no specific application deadline, FAA intent was to award grants and obligate these funds on an expedited basis. Any unobligated CARES funds were rescinded on June 3, 2023, as such there are no new CARES general grants being awarded in the future. For ARPA funds, the application deadline was November 30, 2021.

From 90 to 120 days. If the project is challenged on environmental grounds, approval may take longer.