The FAA is celebrating America’s 250th birthday and wishing airports in 46 states a happy Fourth of July by awarding $1.776 billion in grants that will support a range of upgrades, including runway rehabilitations and safety upgrades.
As of Thursday, the regulator has awarded more than $1 billion in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants in fiscal year 2026 (FY26). Earlier this year, it released the fifth and final installment of the $14.5 billion Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) program established in 2022 by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, allocating $2.89 billion for FY26.
“What better way to celebrate America than investing in its future,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a statement Thursday. “We’re ushering in the Golden Age of Transportation and rebuilding our airport infrastructure is critical to making that vision a reality.”
Per the Transportation Department, projects covered by the $1.776 billion in fresh grants include:
- $88.8 million for pavement projects at Denver International Airport (KDEN).
- $74 million for runway rehabilitation, apron expansion, and upgraded visual guidance lights at Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (KBOI) in Idaho.
- $62.4 million for runway and runway lighting rehabilitation at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (KBWI) in Maryland.
- $62.2 million for runway construction at William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU) in Houston.
- $47.6 million for taxiway construction and the reconstruction of an aircraft rescue and firefighting building at John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK).
- $36 million for terminal, taxiway, and lighting rehabilitation at Orlando International Airport (KMCO).
- $28.1 million for taxiway rehabilitation at Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (KOAK).
“The FAA is prioritizing improving our nation’s airports and ensuring we issue grants quickly and efficiently,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford in a statement. “This funding does more than just rebuild runways and taxiways, it modernizes the travel experience for American families, ensuring our airports are safe and ready for the future.”
Earlier this year, the Transportation Department invested more than $800 million to replace air traffic control (ATC) towers and terminal radar approach control (TRACON) facilities, as well as federal contract towers.
The agency is also overseeing a $12.5 billion ATC modernization effort that seeks to replace and upgrade thousands of radios, radars, voice switches, and other technologies across hundreds of facilities. The effort includes an artificial intelligence-powered air traffic management system that is being developed to predict airspace conditions months in advance.
The FAA in May created a website that allows taxpayers to track progress on these upgrades.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act set aside $14.5 billion for AIG programs to be spent over five years, with FY26 marking the final year. In June, though, the House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2027 transportation spending bill that calls for $4 billion in traditional AIP grants, plus another $271 million for supplemental AIP grants and $303 million for the contract tower program.
Beyond the billions in new airport funding, the FAA is facilitating Independence Day celebrations for the White House by restricting operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT on Friday and from noon to 11:59 p.m. EDT on Saturday.
The July 4th schedule includes a series of flyovers of the National Mall, including a formation flight expected to be led by President Donald Trump’s new VC-25B “Bridge” aircraft, which on Wednesday made its first flight as Air Force One.
Also making appearances will be the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, stealth aircraft, bombers, and demonstration teams for the F-35B, MV-22, and other aircraft.
