Columbus Regional Airport Authority

Columbus Regional Airport Authority, doing business as John Glenn Columbus International Airport, is a local government-owned port authority and federal grant recipient that funds and executes airport infrastructure modernization and operational projects at John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, operating exclusively as a grant recipient with no federal contract prime or sub awards.

The Authority is a U.S. government entity structured as a local government-owned port authority. Its federal footprint is entirely grant-based, concentrated in the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program (CFDA 20.106), Airport Terminal Program (CFDA 20.118), and Airport Infrastructure Grants program (CFDA 20.117), with secondary support from the Department of Transportation and a single Department of Homeland Security sub-grant award from the Ohio Department of Public Safety Emergency Management Agency. The Authority operates as a grant recipient only — it holds no federal contracts and does not sit on IDIQs, GWACs, or BPAs.

Recent FAA funding spans terminal and airfield infrastructure modernization. Representative work includes a $39.3 million Airport Improvement Program grant awarded August 8, 2024, for Phase 1 construction of a new 128,096-square-yard terminal apron, new 4,375-foot Taxiway C, and 448-foot extension of Taxiway H, completing August 7, 2028; an $8.722 million Airport Terminal Program grant awarded August 26, 2026, for acquisition and installation of nine passenger boarding bridges in Phase 2 of a 21-bridge modernization effort, completing August 25, 2030; a $10.687 million Airport Improvement Program grant awarded September 11, 2023, for construction of 3,005 feet of taxiway in Phase 2 of taxiway reconfiguration, completing September 10, 2027; and a $2.151 million Airport Improvement Program grant awarded August 25, 2026, for apron and taxilane pavement rehabilitation and pavement management plan updates, completing August 24, 2030. The Authority also received a $6.552 million grant on September 6, 2024, for Apron #3 reconstruction (Phase 1), completing September 5, 2028, and a $7.08 million grant on September 18, 2025, for acquisition and installation of 36 preconditioned air units and 36 ground power units to reduce aircraft emissions during ground operations.

The top funding customer by award count is the Federal Aviation Administration Great Lakes Region (54 awards), with a second FAA designation accounting for 42 awards. The Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration holds 17 awards with $47.8 million combined potential value, and the General Services Administration Public Buildings Service Central Office Office of Leasing holds 29 awards with $29.4 million combined potential value — the latter reflecting long-standing facility and leasing arrangements rather than infrastructure grants. Combined potential value across all 235 awards is $109 million; combined obligated dollars total $517.5 million, indicating that the Authority's recent pipeline is smaller than historical spend. Award volume has declined year over year — six awards in 2022 to three in 2026 — with only one award reaching completion within the next twenty-four months.