Airports throughout West Virginia will receive $444,000 in grants, which were approved by the Aeronautics Commission.
The commission awarded $12,500 in grants for 24 airports to cover safety and infrastructure upgrades, which covers $300,000 of the funding. The grants will also cover $125,000 for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting training for airport first responders. These grants are funded through the general revenue fund.
Two airports will receive special revenue funds through the aviation fuel tax, which will match separate grant money that was provided by the federal government. Huntington, Tri-State Airport will receive $3,293 to improve the runway safety area and the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport will get $15,770 for projects to rehabilitate runway 5-23. These funds open up access to more than $343,000 in federal funding.
“The investments the state has made in our airport system is paying off exponentially.,” West Virginia Aeronautics Director Sean Hill said in a statement. “Before our impact study was even conceived, Gov. Justice recognized the importance of West Virginia’s air infrastructure. I greatly appreciate his continued support of our airports.”
In a statement, Gov. Jim Justice said airports are important to the state and he thanked the commission for awarding them quickly.