Redmond Airport to get $8.9 million in FAA COVID-19 emergency funding

Oregon airports share $140 million amid sharp decline in travelers, revenues

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) -- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced Tuesday the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration will award more than $140 million in aid to 55 airports in Oregon to help respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The largest Central Oregon recipient is Redmond Municipal Airport, at more than $8.9 million. Bend Municipal Airport will receive $69,000, while the Prineville and Madras airports are each slated to receive $30,000, according to the FAA, whose news release continues below:

This historic grant funding is part of the Trump Administration’s newly created Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Airport Grant Program, an effort to provide unprecedented and immediate relief to American families, workers, and businesses. 

“This $10 billion in emergency resources will help fund the continued operations of our nation’s airports during this crisis and save workers’ jobs,” Chao said in a news release.

This funding will support continuing operations and replace lost revenue resulting from the sharp decline in passenger traffic and other airport business due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The funds are available for airport capital expenditures, airport operating expenses including payroll and utilities, and airport debt payments.

“Thank you to the dedicated men and women from the FAA’s Office of Airports for creating an entirely new program in record time to assist airport sponsors in desperate need of these funds,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. 

View a list of Oregon airports receiving funding on an interactive map, along with funding for all U.S. airports on FAA’s website.

The FAA encourages airport sponsors to spend the grant funds immediately to help minimize any adverse impact from the current public health emergency. Airport sponsors should work with their local FAA Office of Airports field office on the application and grant-agreement process.

The CARES Act also provides funds to increase the Federal share to 100 percent for grants awarded under the fiscal year 2020 appropriations for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and Supplemental Discretionary grants. Under normal circumstances, AIP grant recipients contribute a matching percentage of the project costs. Providing this additional funding and eliminating the local share will allow critical safety and capacity projects to continue as planned regardless of airport sponsors’ current financial circumstances.

The FAA will use a streamlined application and grant-agreement process to make this funding immediately available for critical airport needs. The funds will be available as soon as the airport sponsor executes a grant agreement.

The CARES Act provides new funds distributed by various formulas for all airports that are part of the national airport system. This includes all commercial service airports, all reliever airports and some public-owned general aviation airports.

There is additional program information on the CARES Act website and a listing of CARES Act grants. The FAA issued the following guidance documents: Information for Airport Sponsors and CARES Act Program FAQs.