Aviation - Airport investment funding

2023

State leverages $1.5 million to secure $30.1 million in federal funds for airport investments

WSDOT's Airport Aid Grant Program awarded $2.2 million for airport investments during fiscal year 2024 (July 2023 through June 2024). Public-use airports in the state leveraged $1.5 million of these funds to secure $30.1 million in federal grants, supporting 24 projects at 22 airports in FY2024. The leveraged WSDOT dollars comprised 70.8% of the $2.2 million in total state funds for the Airport Aid Grant Program. The remaining 29.2% (approximately $650,000) assists airports with projects not eligible for federal funding.

A total of $34.5 million in local, state, and federal funding support airport investment projects during FY2024. Most of these funds ($21.4 million or 62%) have been slated for pavement projects. Safety improvement projects at airports account for 29.9% of the total dollars ($10.3 million), while 8.1% ($2.8 million) has been scheduled for planning projects. For more information about WSDOT's Airport Aid Grant Program, visit: https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/aviation/aviation-grants.

WSDOT recommends six projects for funding through the Sustainable Aviation Grant Program for airports

As directed by the Washington State Legislature in 2022, WSDOT Aviation established a Sustainable Aviation Grant Program for airports and began the initial selection of recommended sustainable aviation projects for funding by the legislature.

The grant program supports the adoption of energy efficient and clean energy airport infrastructure with the goal of reducing harmful aviation-related emissions, and transitioning airports to more environmentally sustainable operations.

In September 2022, WSDOT established an application process and evaluation criteria for the Sustainable Aviation Grant Program. Based on the criteria outlined by the legislature, the process identified that eligible projects may include, but are not limited to:

• Sustainable aviation fuel storage;
• Electrification of ground support equipment;
• Electric aircraft charging infrastructure;
• Airport clean power production;
• Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations or fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) stations (hydrogen) whose infrastructure may also support ground support equipment and electric aircraft charging.

Projects are evaluated on their ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the modification of airport infrastructure to adopt clean forms of transportation, adoption of an airport clean power generation, and/or modification of existing infrastructure resulting in less dependence on fossil fuels.

The department solicited funding applications from airport sponsors by advertising the program in a news release, posting it on the WSDOT Aviation Division's website, including the solicitation in the monthly newsletter Washington Skies and presentations at two separate stakeholder conferences. Additionally, the announcement was republished by the Washington Airport Management Associations bi-weekly WAMA Waypoints.

Six airports submitted applications requesting just over $1.9 million for 10 separate projects that covered three categories: Solar, EV Charging, and Airport Equipment.

Using a diversified approach to its selection process, the department recommended six of these projects for funding at a total amount of $1,476,000. In 2023, the legislature appropriated funding for the six recommended projects.

The legislature further directed WSDOT to submit a report to the transportation committees of the legislature by October 1, 2024, identifying a selection of sustainable aviation projects for funding. WSDOT can only consider projects that advance sustainable aviation technology and lead to future innovation. Innovative sustainable aviation projects may include, but are not limited to, pilot projects demonstrating the use of:

• Mobile battery charging technology;
• Hydrogen electrolyzers and storage;
• Electric ground equipment; and
• Hangar charging technology.

2022

State leverages $1.3 million to secure $53.6 million in federal funds for airport improvements

WSDOT's Airport Aid Grant Program awarded $2.7 million for airport investments during fiscal year 2023 (July 2022 through June 2023). Public-use airports in the state leveraged $1.3 million of these funds to secure $53.6 million in federal grants, which will support 20 projects at 20 airports in FY2023. The leveraged WSDOT dollars comprised 48.5% of the $2.7 million in total state funds for the Airport Aid Grant Program. The remaining 51.5% ($1.4 million) assists airports not eligible for federal funding.

A total of $60.3 million in local, state, and federal funding support airport investment projects during FY2023. Most of these funds ($55.4 million or 91.8%) have been slated for pavement projects, including $732,486 to the Sequim Valley Airport for runway rehabilitation. Safety improvement projects at airports account for 4.3% of the total dollars ($2.5 million), while 3.4% ($2.1 million) has been scheduled for planning & other projects, and the remaining 0.5% ($315,000) has been allocated for airport transformation. For more information about WSDOT's Airport Aid Grant Program, visit: https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/aviation/aviation-grants.

2021

WSDOT uses $100,000 to leverage $27 million in federal and local funds for airport aid, maximizes return on investment of aviation funding

WSDOT's airport aid grant awarded a total of $930,360 to nine airports for pavement maintenance, safety, and sustainability projects during fiscal year 2022 (July 2021 through June 2022). Approximately 80% ($748,950) of these funds will support airports that are not eligible for federal funds—facilities not included in the NPIAS. The airport aid grant program targets 55% of grant awards to the smaller non-NPIAS airports and NPIAS airports with fewer than 20 based aircraft.

WSDOT maximized the return on investment of the grant cycle by using the remaining 20% ($100,000) to leverage $27 million in federal and local funds for use on NPIAS airports. The majority of these funds will be used for airport pavement projects.

2020

Federal relief helps fund operations and projects at eligible Washington state airports

The reduction in travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in reduced gas tax revenue, causing substantial impacts to WSDOT's budget. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act—signed into law in March 2020—helped reduce the impact of WSDOT's funding shortfall for operations and maintenance at eligible airports. Washington airports included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) received approximately $310 million in CARES Act grants for airport operations and maintenance, helping offset decreased revenue due to COVID-19. Additionally, approximately $5 million in CARES Act funding is covering the 10% local match required for over $47 million of Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program grants awarded during federal fiscal year 2020, providing 100% funding for projects at NPIAS airports.

Funding continues to fall short for non-NPIAS Washington state airports

WSDOT prefers to begin the rehabilitation process to protect the pavement structure and manage the pavement at the lowest life-cycle cost when pavement is in fair condition. The condition of WSDOT-managed roadways is evaluated annually using three indicators:

Despite the temporary influx of federal funds from the CARES Act—which can only be used on Washington's 64 NPIAS airports—available funding for all of Washington's 134 public use airports continues to fall short of the amount necessary for maintaining the infrastructure in a state of good repair. WSDOT Aviation's 2013 Airport Investment Study determined $8.4 million annually was needed to cover the airport infrastructure funding gap.

In 2018, Washington's Airport Pavement Management System estimated approximately 74% of the pavement area requires routine and preventive maintenance, while 26% of the pavement area requires major rehabilitation or reconstruction. If no additional funding is spent on pavement maintenance and rehabilitation, the overall pavement condition index is estimated to decrease from 73 to 64 by 2025, with approximately 42% of pavement area requiring costly major rehabilitation or reconstruction.

WSDOT estimates approximately $395.4 million is needed through 2025 to fund pavement maintenance and rehabilitation projects at the 95 airports for which WSDOT has pavement condition data. WSDOT's 2018 pavement condition study determined that if a constrained budget of $4.5 million per year is spent on airport pavement over the next seven years, a backlog of $474.1 million in pavement projects is expected to accrue.

State leverages $52,000 to secure $3.1 million in federal and local funds for airport aid, maximizes return on investment of aviation funding

WSDOT awarded a total of $873,000 to four airports for pavement maintenance and runway projects for fiscal year 2021 (July 2020 through June 2021). Ninety-four percent ($821,000) of these funds are going to airports that are ineligible for federal funds (non-NPIAS facilities). WSDOT maximized the return on investment of the remaining $52,000 by using it to leverage $3.1 million in federal and local funds for use on a NPIAS airport. The influx of federal CARES Act funds for NPIAS airports allowed WSDOT to direct a higher amount of state funding to non-NPIAS airports.

2019

State leverages less than $900,000 to secure $46.5 million in federal funds for airport aid

WSDOT awarded $1.4 million through its Airport Aid Grant Program to be invested in airports during fiscal year 2020 (July 2019 through June 2020). Public-use airports in the state leveraged $871,967 of these funds to secure $46.5 million in federal grant funding. These federal grants will benefit 21 projects at 21 airports in FY2020. The leveraged WSDOT dollars make up 60.6% of the $1.4 million in total state funds for the Airport Aid Grant Program (see table below). The remaining $567,572 (39.4%) will assist airports not eligible for federal funding.

A total of $53.0 million in local, state and federal funding will be available for airport investment projects during FY2020. The majority of these funds ($46.8 million or 88.3%) are slated for pavement projects, including $500,000 to the Town of Twisp for taxiway realignment and reconstruction at the Twisp Municipal Airport. Projects that improve safety at airports account for 8.7% of the total dollars ($4.6 million), with the remaining 3.2% ($1.7 million) allocated for planning and environmental projects. For more information about the Airport Aid Grant Program, visit: https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/aviation/aviation-grants.