Four airports across North Carolina will divide about $45 million in federal grants to help modernize facilities, the Biden Administration announced Thursday.
Charlotte Douglas International will get $27 million of that amount, with Raleigh-Durham International, Wilmington International and the Avery County Airport dividing the rest.
The money is part of the $970 million in federal money that will go to 114 airports across the country, says U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who held a press conference at Charlotte’s airport to announce its grant.
Charlotte’s airport money will go toward replacing up to 16 passenger board bridges – the elevated passageway that extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, and associated ground power units and pre-conditioned air units.
People rarely think about things like passenger board bridges, says Buttigieg, until something happens. “If your flight arrived on time, only for you to be waiting to get off of that plane only because there’s an issue with the jet bridge you’re thinking of nothing else until it gets solved,” says Buttigieg.
The other projects are:
- $12 million to Raleigh-Durham International Airport to fund part of the Terminal 2 security checkpoint, baggage claim and the expansion of the federal inspection station.
- $4 million to Wilmington International Airport to fund a portion of the terminal access road and terminal curb front expansion and realignment.
- $2 million to the Avery County Airport in Spruce Pine to help fund construction of a new general aviation terminal building to meet existing and future demand.
North Carolina’s 72 public airports contribute $72 billion to the state’s economy, support 330,000 jobs and return $3.7 billion state and local tax revenues, according to the state.