Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that Genesee County Airport will receive $630,000 in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) funds. The airport will utilize these funds to construct and pave the taxiway area that will become home to 16 hangar structures. These hangars, which are closed structures that hold airport aircraft in protective storage, will allow more planes to come into and fly out of the airport. Schumer and Gillibrand explained that this means more travel, tourism and revenue for the airport. This project is a part of a larger expansion effort at the airport to increase service and travel profits overall. Last year, the Genesee County Airport received a state grant to help with their process of designing a new terminal. These federal funds will take these airport expansion efforts to the next level.
“I’m pleased to add these significant federal dollars to the list of ‘arrivals’ at the Genesee County Airport,” said Senator Schumer. “This funding will help Genesee Airport pave the way to creating new space for aircraft storage. These additional hangar structures will increase the airport’s efficiency and ability to turn around flights even faster, to serve more residents, businesses and visitors each day.”
“This is a critical investment for Genesee Airport,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Updating the airports’ infrastructure by replacing the taxiway, will help provide better, safer service for travelers and business, and strengthens the local economy.”
“The grant not only supports local construction jobs, but it allows for the construction of the aprons that are needed to erect additional facilities that are needed to address Genesee County’s long-standing waiting list for hangars,” said Timothy J. Hens, Superintendent for the Genesee County Highway Department. “More hangars means more activity at the airport which is good for the county and good for the businesses based at and around the airport.”
The Airport Improvement Program, through the Federal Aviation Administration, provides grants to public agencies — and, in some cases, to private owners and entities — for the planning and development of public-use airports that are included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). The NPIAS, which is prepared and published every 2 years, identifies public-use airports that are important to public transportation and contribute to the needs of civil aviation, national defense, and the Postal service.
The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) was established by the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982. Since then, the AIP has been amended several times, most recently with the passage of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. Funds obligated for the AIP are drawn from the Airport and Airway Trust fund, which is supported by user fees, fuel taxes, and other similar revenue sources.