Amazon airports Chicago Rockford, Alliance Fort Worth among FAA grant recipients 

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that it will award $477 million in airport infrastructure grants to 264 airports in 44 states, the Pacific Islands and the District of Columbia. This allotment is the third of the total $3.18 billion in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding for airports across the country.  

Selected projects the grant will support include runway reconstruction and rehabilitation, and the maintenance of taxiways, aprons and terminals. The funding for these projects is intended to increase U.S. airports’ safety, capabilities and capacity in support of economic growth and development. 

Two notable recipients of the grant include Chicago/Rockford International Airport (RFD) and Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW), as both RFD and AFW are scheduled to welcome expanded operations of e-tailer giant, Amazon, later this year. 

RFD will receive almost $11.3 million from the grant to rehabilitate a runway and taxiway at the airport. This grant follows another the airport received in the second round of the FAA’s AIP program earlier this year.  

AFW, meanwhile, will receive $13.5 million in funding – $5.5 million for the extension of its taxiway and $8 million for the implementation of noise mitigation measures for residents within the area. According to a local news source, the latter portion of the grant will be used to study the airport’s noise impact on nearby homes that will be especially important as Amazon prepares to add additional daily flights at the airport. Following the study, some of the funding will be used for sound insulation and noise mitigation measures.  

While the grant award is good news for any airport, the funding will not only support RFD and AFW’s individual growth, but also contribute to Amazon’s larger plans, as well.