Indy Airport Receives Largest Federal, State Grant Funding in Its History
Grants will fund infrastructure improvements, create jobs
INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 18, 2018) – The Indianapolis Airport Authority is set to receive nearly $20 million in federal and state grants to support a variety of projects at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) and its reliever airports. Those projects focus primarily on rehabilitation of existing infrastructure, in addition to sustainability, and safety and security initiatives.
This year’s total grant funding awarded sets a new record for the IAA, which received an historic $18 million in grant funding in 2017, breaking its prior record of $15 million set in 2015.
“These grants are instrumental in maintaining our entire airport system as a public asset to the metropolitan region and enhancing the value those airports contribute to our airline partners and passengers, tenants at our general aviation airports, and organically creating jobs via necessary construction related to grant-funded projects,” said IAA Executive Director Mario Rodriguez.
The grants are expected to create 330 direct and indirect jobs across the IAA’s network of airports, adding to the economic impact that the Indy airport produces itself by supporting 22,600 area jobs.
Nearly $15 million of the grant funding will be applied to runway and taxiway rehabilitations and improved airfield lighting at the Indianapolis International Airport. In total, the grants were awarded via the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program and the Indiana Department of Transportation’s Airport Development Fund program.
“The work these grants support not only maintain and enhance infrastructure, but they create opportunities for many local companies to compete for these projects, leveraging a diverse business network and workforce that reflects the Indianapolis and metro-area community,” said Jarod Klaas, IAA senior director of planning and development.
Federal and state grants are an important contribution to why the Indy airport is considered the best mid-sized airport in North America. Examples of prior grants that have delivered direct passenger value include a $2.6 million Zero Emission Vehicle federal grant in 2016, which was used to purchase six electric buses and build the largest airport electric shuttle bus fleet in the United States.