Regulatory Alert: FAA Releases $1.1 Billion in FY26 AIP Grants for Projects at Over 223 Airports

September 14, 2026

Today, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a list of $1.1 billion in infrastructure grant awards as part of the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Airport Improvement Program (AIP), including $519.8 million in entitlement grants and $590.4 million in discretionary grants. The grants awarded today will fund a variety of projects at over 223 airports, including construction and improvement of airport facilities, repairs to runways, taxiways, and aprons, and purchasing equipment needed to operate and maintain airports.

The AIP grants released today were made available by the $4.0 billion in “regular” AIP funding that Congress provided in February as part of the FY26 DOT/FAA spending bill. Today’s announcement is the sixth major release for the FY26 AIP cycle and brings the total amount of FY26 AIP grants awarded to about $3.78 billion. No additional grants are expected to be awarded in FY26.

You can review the full list of grant awards released today here, a map of all the awards here, and the agency’s press release here.

In its press release, FAA noted that $10.9 million of the awards from today’s announcement will go to 61 airports to equip 3,000 airport vehicles with vehicle movement area transponders (VMATs), which help controllers track vehicle traffic on the airport surface. VMATs have been a central focus for Congress and FAA following the March accident at LaGuardia Airport involving an Air Canada aircraft and ARFF vehicle. In May, FAA announced an investment of $16.5 million—from funding provided to the agency through the One Big Beautiful Bill—to equip about 1,900 of its vehicles at airports that have ASDE-X or ASSC or that have or will be getting the Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI). Refer to our May 13 Regulatory Alert for additional details.

AAAE has developed a one-page overview of the various grant programs and funds being administered by FAA, including relevant timelines, to help airports understand the status of infrastructure funding programs. You can access the latest version here.