On June 8, the Federal Aviation Administration greenlighted $677 million in airport infrastructure grants, the first allotment of the total $3.2 billion in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding for airports across the U.S.

Airports can get a certain amount of AIP funding each year based on activity levels and project needs. If their capital project needs exceed their available entitlement funds, the FAA said it can supplement their entitlements with discretionary funding.

The agency added that the initial 241 AIP grants will help fund 346 infrastructure projects that include runways, taxiways, aprons, and terminals. According to the FAA, the United States is home to 3,332 airports and 5,000 paved runways, and the agency’s most recent economic analysis indicates that U.S. civil aviation accounts for $1.6 trillion in total economic activity and supports nearly 11 million jobs.

Several state departments of transportation will be receiving grant money for airport projects, including.

• The Alaska DOT&PF, which is getting $12.8 million to repair the runway and taxiway at King Salmon Airport in King Salmon, Alaska; part of more than $32 million in grants for 10 projects in total.
• More than $13 million in grants to the Missouri DOT for its state block grant program for airport work.
• More than $19 million in grants to the state of Wisconsin for its block grant program.