Albany airport among state facilities to receive federal funds
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democratic U.S. Sens. the Rev. Raphael Warnock, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees transportation policy, and Jon Ossoff announced they have secured $63,646,755 in federal funds for airports across Georgia, including some $3.76 million for the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport in Albany.
The grants were awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program and made possible in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Awardees for the latest set of grants include the Columbus Airport, DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Dalton Municipal Airport, Polk County Airport, Southwest Georgia Regional Airport, Augusta Regional Airport, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, and GDOT.
“Georgia is one of the most important aviation states in the nation, and as a member of the committee responsible for aviation policy, I will continue working to strengthen Georgia’s transportation infrastructure,” Warnock said. “This latest investment will continue to take Georgia’s aviation economy to new heights.”
“Georgia’s airports are a key driver of job creation and economic competitiveness,” Ossoff said. “Alongside Sen. Warnock, I am pleased to announce the bipartisan infrastructure law will deliver more airport upgrades across the state of Georgia. Our bipartisan infrastructure law will continue to deliver long-overdue upgrades to Georgia’s infrastructure for years to come.”
A long-time champion for Georgia’s aviation industry, Warnock recently secured provisions in the FAA Reauthorization law that will help transform the aviation industry, including provisions to bolster the aviation work force pipeline and invest in the nation’s aviation economy.
This summer, Warnock toured Gulfstream headquarters in Savannah, as well as Savannah Tech’s Crossroads Aviation Campus to meet with current students who are training to work at Gulfstream or in Georgia’s aviation economy. Last year, Warnock visited Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport to review progress on federally-funded projects, including construction of a security checkpoint expansion.
In April 2023, Warnock met with local aviation workers and leaders at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Chamblee to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing workers on the frontlines of the aviation industry; following his visit, the Senator introduced the AIRWAYS Act to strengthen the aviation work force by recruiting and training future industry workers from all zip codes.
Additionally, in 2022 Warnock and Ossoff helped secure $13.5 million to update nine airports across Georgia, including Augusta Regional Airport and Columbus Airport. The most recent awards were made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which included roughly $619 million for Georgia’s airports to improve efficiency, upgrade terminals, and more.
The $3,764,809 secured for the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport will be used for infrastructure upgrades.
Other awards include:
Columbus Airport: $24,472,527, runway reconstruction
Dalton Municipal Airport: $2,400,000, runway upgrades
DeKalb-Peachtree Airport: $8,585,711, runway upgrades
Polk County Airport: $3,950,000, runway upgrades
Augusta Regional Airport: $8,008,660, taxiway construction and upgrades
Savannah/HHI Airport: $11,465,048, taxiway construction
GDOT: $1,000,000, planning funds.
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