Sen. Padilla Announces Over $219 Million to Bolster California Airport Infrastructure

On Monday US Senator Alex Padilla announced that 56 California airports were awarded a combined $219.5 million in grant funding from the Federal Aviation Administration to upgrade aviation infrastructure.

The funding comes through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which invests in airport infrastructure projects such as runways, taxiways, noise cancellation, zero-emission equipment, airport signage, airport lighting, and airport markings.

“Californians and the millions of visitors we get each year deserve a safer, smoother airport experience,” said Senator Padilla. “By modernizing our airport infrastructure, these investments will not just make travel easier for passengers, but will reduce noise and air pollution in neighboring communities.”

“The Biden-Harris Administration is funding projects across the country that are making airports safer and more efficient for the passengers who travel through them and for the airport and airline employees who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make these complex systems run as smoothly as possible ,” said US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “The grants we’re announcing today will improve airfield operations for dozens of airports and help ensure the US retains its global leadership in aviation.”

California airports receiving funding include:

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport: $1.99 million. This funding will support the reconstruction of the apron, developing a new pavement plan, and conducting a pavement study.
Camarillo Airport: $1.83 million. This funding will support the reconstruction of the runway.
Paso Robles Municipal Airport: $530,610. This funding will support updating the Airport Master Plan.

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport: $3.57 million. This funding will support the collection and removal of uncontained contaminants on the airfield caused by aqueous film forming foam and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) waste resulting solely from aviation operations/field testing as well as the measurement of lab-proven innovative destruction technologies in order to reduce and mitigate the aviation impacts of aqueous film forming foam and other PFAS substances on surface and groundwater quality at or within five miles of the airport.

Los Angeles International Airport: $29.79 million. This funding will support three Los Angeles Airport projects, including the construction of new 5,860-foot paved Taxiways S, U, W, and V to conform with current standards; the acquisition and installation of full noise mitigation measures for 260 impacted residences; and the acquisition and installation of low-emission equipment including 81 units of ground support equipment.

A complete list of AIP awards for California airports is available here.

Earlier this year, Senator Padilla and Senator Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) announced $89.3 million from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Terminal Program, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Padilla and the late Senator Dianne Feinstein previously announced a combined $528 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for airport upgrades and modernizations across California.