Columbus Municipal Airport to receive $2.8 million grant

Columbus Municipal Airport will be receiving nearly $2.8 million dollars in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program to make infrastructure and safety improvements at the facility.

Congressman Greg Pence, a Columbus Republican, announced the award last week. He said $279,350 of the funding was coming as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act, which he supported in March.

Pence said he wrote a letter of support for the Columbus Municipal Airports grant request and urged the FAA to prioritize the request.

Pence pointed out that the Columbus airport is one of the top 5 in the state in terms of operations, and not only does it serve local business needs, but also supports military training at Camp Atterbury.

The FAA says that the Airport Improvement Program grant program provides a certain amount of funding each year, based on passenger volume. If their capital project needs exceed their available entitlement funds, then the FAA can supplement their entitlements with discretionary funding.