Coastal Carolina Regional Airport

Coastal Carolina Regional Airport, a local government-owned airport authority based in New Bern, North Carolina, is a federal grant recipient that receives funding from the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation for airport infrastructure development and air service initiatives, acting exclusively as a prime recipient with no subcontractor or vendor role in federal programs.

The airport's federal grant portfolio centers on FAA capital improvement funding under the Airport Improvement Program (CFDA 20.106) and related Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act mechanisms, with recent awards totaling approximately $7 million in combined potential value across 103 grants over the past two decades. The most active recent work spans terminal expansion and modernization, airfield infrastructure, and air traffic control tower development. Representative grants include a $4.253 million Airport Improvement Program award (September 2024 to September 2028) funding construction of a 20,000-square-yard apron, a new 515-foot taxiway, terminal improvements for passenger capacity, and perimeter security fencing; a $1.913 million grant (July 2025 to July 2029) for construction of an 830-foot taxilane to provide hangar area airfield access; a $1.213 million grant (April 2026 to April 2030) for construction of a new sponsor-owned FAA contract tower and associated equipment; and a $913,166 grant (September 2025 to September 2029) for design and permitting of Runway 4/22 safety area extension. Earlier pandemic-era funding included a $5.201 million award (September 2023 to September 2027) for terminal security, baggage, electrical, and signage upgrades, and COVID-19 economic relief grants for parking lot expansion, access road rehabilitation, and a 9,000-square-foot aircraft hangar. The airport also received a $776,000 Small Community Air Service Development grant (September 2022 to January 2028) for a minimum revenue guarantee and marketing program to establish service to Philadelphia International Airport.

Federal Aviation Administration programs dominate the grant footprint. The FAA Southern Region accounts for 20 awards, with the broader FAA organization adding 12 more awards; the Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration has placed 5 awards ($2.5 million combined potential value); and the General Services Administration Public Buildings Service Central Office has 16 awards ($1.8 million). The top customers by award count represent 52% of recent grants; the top customers by potential value account for 62%. Award volume has declined from three grants per year in 2022 and 2023 to one or two per year in 2025 and 2026, reflecting the completion of major capital projects funded under Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act stimulus. Combined dollars obligated across all historical grants ($94.4 million) significantly exceed the combined potential value ($7 million) of current awards, indicating that most of the airport's historical federal funding has already been spent or obligated through completion of prior-phase projects. The airport carries no active federal contracting vehicles, prime contracts, or subcontractor relationships; all federal engagement is grant-based and direct from the FAA or related Department of Transportation offices.