Staff report
WASHINGTON — Kentucky airports will receive nearly $90 million in funding from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Rescue Grants program. The largest amount, $42 million, was awarded to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), followed by a $36.5 million grant to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF). Blue Grass Airport in Lexington will receive $7.7 million.
Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah and Owensboro-Daviess County Regional will each get $1.1 million. Smaller airports across the commonwealth also will receive grant funds.
The program, created by American Rescue Plan legislation, will provide $8 billion nationwide in economic relief to eligible commercial service, reliever and general aviation airports to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and help drive economic recovery. The funding can be used to help keep people safe and employed by reimbursing operational expenses, debt service payments and costs related to combating the spread of pathogens at the airport.
Airports can also use the money to provide rent relief to in-terminal retail and concession companies. The funding requires that airports continue to employ at least 90% of their pre-pandemic employees for those airports that cover a majority of the traveling public.
“The Airport Rescue Grants keep workers employed and help the aviation sector recover as more Americans get vaccinated and begin traveling again,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Kentucky airports receiving funding include:
| Airport name | Dollar amount awarded |
| Addington Field | 32,000 |
| Ashland Regional | 32,000 |
| Barkley Regional | 1,104,032 |
| Big Sandy Regional | 32,000 |
| Blue Grass | 7,739,046 |
| Bowling Green-Warren County Regional | 59,000 |
| Bowman Field | 59,000 |
| Breckinridge County | 22,000 |
| Capital City | 59,000 |
| Central Kentucky Regional | 32,000 |
| Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International | 42,075,044 |
| Cynthiana-Harrison County | 32,000 |
| Fleming-Mason | 32,000 |
| Fulton | 22,000 |
| Gene Snyder | 32,000 |
| Georgetown-Scott County Regional | 59,000 |
| Glasgow Municipal | 32,000 |
| Hancock Co-Ron Lewis Field | 22,000 |
| Henderson City-County | 32,000 |
| Hopkinsville-Christian County | 32,000 |
| Kentucky Dam State Park | 22,000 |
| Kyle-Oakley Field | 32,000 |
| Lake Cumberland Regional | 32,000 |
| Lebanon Springfield-George Hoerter Field | 22,000 |
| Leitchfield-Grayson Co | 22,000 |
| London-Corbin Airport-Magee Field | 32,000 |
| Louisville Muhammad Ali International | 36,502,146 |
| Madisonville Regional | 32,000 |
| Marion-Crittenden County | 32,000 |
| Mayfield Graves County | 32,000 |
| Middlesboro-Bell County | 22,000 |
| Morehead-Rowan County Clyde A Thomas Re | 32,000 |
| Mount Sterling-Montgomery County | 59,000 |
| Muhlenberg County | 32,000 |
| Ohio County | 32,000 |
| Owensboro-Daviess County Regional | 1,107,694 |
| Pike County-Hatcher Field | 32,000 |
| Princeton-Caldwell County | 22,000 |
| Russell County | 22,000 |
| Russellville-Logan County | 32,000 |
| Samuels Field | 22,000 |
| Stanton | 22,000 |
| Stuart Powell Field | 59,000 |
| Sturgis Municipal | 22,000 |
| Taylor County | 22,000 |
| Tompkinsville-Monroe County | 32,000 |
| Tucker-Guthrie Memorial | 22,000 |
| Wayne County | 22,000 |
| Wendell H Ford | 22,000 |
| West Liberty | 22,000 |
| Williamsburg-Whitley County | 22,000 |
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