Airports in upstate New York can apply for a pool of money totaling $250 million that is available to “transform and modernize airports in upstate New York and foster regional economic development.” The figure includes $230 million through a new Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization competition for projects that “promote and accelerate” improvements at Upstate […]
Airports in upstate New York can apply for a pool of money totaling $250 million that is available to “transform and modernize airports in upstate New York and foster regional economic development.”
The figure includes $230 million through a new Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization competition for projects that “promote and accelerate” improvements at Upstate commercial passenger service airports, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced May 20.
The state will also allocate another $20 million through Cuomo’s aviation-capital grant program to support safety, infrastructure, and economic-development projects at smaller airports.
Additionally, $16.5 million was previously allocated through the aviation-capital grant program in this year’s state budget. The new initiative builds on Cuomo’s first upstate airport-revitalization competition first announced in 2016, along with the ongoing transformation of LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports, Cuomo’s office said in a release.
The 24 public-use airports eligible for the competition include Syracuse Hancock International Airport, Binghamton Regional/Edwin A. Link Field, Griffiss International Airport, Elmira/Corning Regional Airport, Ithaca Tompkins International Airport, Massena International Richards Field, Ogdensburg International Airport, Oswego County Airport, and Watertown International Airport, per the release.
Candidate projects will be evaluated on their ability to meet eligibility criteria and will be ranked in a rigorous scoring process. Funding applications are due by Sept. 15.
Eligible projects
The New York State Department of Transportation will administer this new initiative and is open to upstate New York commercial passenger-service airports and airstrips providing specialized service for commercial aircraft/corporate jets.
Applicants may apply for funding a single project or a program of projects that will help “meet the demands of the 21st century,” Cuomo’s office said.
Examples of eligible activities include — but are not limited to — the planning, design, and construction of improved security screening, terminal expansion or rehabilitation, modernized boarding concourse and concession areas, opportunities to move passengers more safely and efficiently with improved distancing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and new innovations in contactless technology and an “increased focus on cleanliness and disinfection,” Cuomo’s office said.
The new initiative follows Cuomo’s initial Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization competition. Announced in 2016, the preliminary contest awarded $200 million, leveraging an additional $150 million in federal and local resources, for projects at airports around the Upstate region.
The projects at Syracuse Hancock International Airport and the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport were completed in October 2018. And the construction effort at Ithaca Tompkins International Airport wrapped up in December 2019. The initial competition also resulted in improvement projects for the airports serving Albany, Rochester, and Plattsburgh.