Just more than $5 million has been allocated to the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport, with that amount to be distributed over the next five years.
OWB would receive $1,012,071 annually for five years by funds made available through the Airport Infrastructure Grants program, which was established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act earlier this year.
The announcement first came last week from U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will distribute a total of $40 million to 51 Kentucky airports.
“Kentucky’s airports don’t just connect our citizens to the rest of the country and the world; they also form a critical part of America’s supply chain. It is more important than ever that our airports have the funds needed to operate effectively,” McConnell said.
The OWB board discussed the grant during their meeting Tuesday afternoon but did not approve accepting them just yet, as the details on what those funds can be used for have not been finalized.
Airport Director Tristan Durbin noted the funds are separate from an FAA grant that allocates $1 million annually to OWB as long as they reach 10,000 enplanements per year — meaning the airport would be receiving about $2 million per year if the board accepts the grant.
“There are some expanded eligibilities that we’re currently looking through, and we’re working with our consultants as well as our partners at the Federal Aviation Administration,” Durbin said. “All this is very exciting news for the community as well as the airport. It’s going to provide us a great opportunity to continue to grow. This was made possible because of all the elected officials that came together to help pass this bill.”