Regulatory Alert: FAA Proposes Deadlines for Retrofitting Airplane Altimeters to Ensure Safe Operations in 5G C-Band Environment

On April 20th, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a list of over $460 million in infrastructure grants as part of the fiscal year 2023 (FY23) Airport Improvement Program (AIP), including $315.7 million in entitlement grants and $144.7 million in discretionary grants. The grants awarded today will fund a variety of projects at over 344 airports, including construction and improvement of airport facilities, repairs to runways and taxiways, and purchasing equipment needed to operate and maintain airports. 

The AIP grants released were made available by the $3.35 billion in 'regular' AIP funding that Congress provided in December 2022 as part of the FY23 omnibus spending bill. FAA awarded about $162 million in FY23 AIP grants last month. Today's release brings the total to approximately $622.5 million.

As of last year, FAA stopped issuing press releases for AIP grant award announcements. However, you can review the full list of grant awards released on April 20th here and a map of all the awards here. 

FAA is expected to continue to award FY23 AIP grants through September of this year. In addition, the agency is expected to release within the coming months a list of projects that will receive a share of approximately $272 million in supplemental discretionary funds that Congress provided as part of the FY22 omnibus spending bill. We will provide updates on any new developments as FAA makes additional information available.

Deadline Reminder: Earlier in April, FAA released a notice of funding opportunity that outlines how airports apply for a share of approximately $1.5 billion in FY23 AIP discretionary grants. FAA encourages airports to submit applications as soon as possible but not later than July 14. AAAE has developed a one-page overview of the various grant programs and funds being administered by FAA, including relevant timelines, to help airports navigate the opportunities available for infrastructure funding.