Over fifty Kentucky airports will receive funding from the CARES Act passed last month by Congress to provide economic relief from the coronavirus. The Federal Aviation Administration will distribute nearly eighty million dollars to the commonwealth’s airports, according to a press release from U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell’s office.
Many west Kentucky airports will receive federal appropriations under the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program:
Barkley Regional Airport (Paducah): $1,086,134
Lake Barkley State Park Airport (Cadiz): $1,000
Kentucky Dam State Park Airport (Gilbertsville): $1,000
Henderson City-County Airport (Henderson): $69,000
Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport (Hopkinsville): $30,000
Marion-Crittenden County Airport (Marion): $30,000
Mayfield-Graves County Airport (Mayfield): $30,000
Kyle-Oakley Field (Murray): $30,000
Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport (Owensboro): $1,080,366
Princeton-Caldwell County Airport (Princeton): $20,000
Sturgis Municipal Airport (Sturgis): $20,000
The CARES Act was introduced by McConnell. Funding from the Airport Improvement Program typically requires a local match, but the funding provided under the Act waives the match requirement.
“Kentucky’s network of world-class airports drive our economy and support good jobs. As our country faces the health and economic crisis of the coronavirus, we must maintain these critical features of Kentucky’s infrastructure. When this crisis is over, our Commonwealth will be ready to once again take flight,” said McConnell in a statement. “As Senate Majority Leader, I was proud to keep Kentucky’s priorities—including our airports and their workers—at the center of the national discussion.”