PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Greetings MAA Members,

We recently wrapped up Aviation Month as first proclaimed by the state legislature in 2011. The designation highlights airports’ value to the state’s intermodal transportation system and its economy. In addition, since our last newsletter, Strategic Multi-Modal awards were announced. The $30 million appropriated was distributed among the three modes, with airports receiving $10,574,696 that funded nine out of thirty-three projects submitted from across the state. This fiscal year, the legislature appropriated $10 million to the program. In regard to traditional Multi-Modal, MDOT has continued that program, and applications were due May 31.

At the national level, President Biden signed the FAA Reauthorization Act on May 16. This will ensure agency funding for the next five years and includes several positive changes to the Airport Improvement Program. It authorizes $4 billion a year for AIP, which represents an increase from the current $3.35 billion annual spending level. Funding for GA airports will receive the lion’s share of this increase, going from $670 million currently to $1 billion each year. The AIP section temporarily increases the federal share to 95 percent of allowable project costs for a grant made to a non-hub or nonprimary airport in FY25 and FY26. This will reduce the local share from 10 percent to 5 percent for this period. Finally, the legislation creates a $34 million per year set-aside in the small airport fund for construction of itinerant/transient general aviation parking.

I encourage you to investigate the various funding possibilities for improvements at your airport, so that our vital transportation system will remain strong and continue to serve the state of Mississippi well.
 
Sincerely,

Wes Kirkpatrick
President
Mississippi Airports Association