The tower at Fresno Chandler Executive Airport is seen May 30, 2023, in Fresno. Fresno Chandler gets $1.8 million to improve runway.
ERIC PAUL ZAMORA
ezamora@fresnobee.com
Six municipal airports in Fresno, Madera, Tulare, Kings and Kern counties are getting $6.4 million in federal funding to modernize their infrastructure and improve safety.
The funding is part of $109 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration to 51 airports in California to strengthen the state’s aviation system.
“California’s airports are critical to the millions of travelers, workers and goods that keep our economy moving. Investing in this infrastructure means safer runways, shorter delays, and airports built to handle the demands of our growing state,” Sen. Alex Padilla said in a statement.
The FAA’s Airport Improvement Program will support runway and taxiway improvements, noise mitigation, terminal construction, safety improvements, and other infrastructure updates such as passenger boarding bridges, lighting upgrades.
On Friday, Padilla and Sen. Adam Schiff announced which California airports were selected, the amount of the grant and how the funding will be used.
“These investments will make airports across California safer and more reliable,” said Schiff in a statement.
Padilla said modernizing airports means “investing directly in jobs, in tourism, and in California’s competitiveness for decades to come.”
Airports receiving FAA funding include:
Schiff and Padilla secured federal investments to modernize California’s aviation infrastructure. Last month, they announced $107 million in grants for 16 California airports, including $14.4 million for Fresno Yosemite International Airport to reconstruct 9,539 feet of existing paved runway.
The administration building at Fresno Chandler Executive Airport, photographed May 30, 2023 ,in Fresno. Fresno Chandler gets $1.8 million to improve runway. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
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María G. Ortiz-Briones is a reporter and photographer for McClatchy’s Vida en el Valle and the Fresno Bee. She covers issues that impact the Latino community in the Central Valley. She is a regular contributor to La Abeja, The Bee’s free weekly newsletter on Latino issues. | María G. Ortiz-Briones es reportera y fotógrafa de Vida en el Valle de McClatchy y el Fresno Bee. Ella cubre temas que impactan a la comunidad latina en el Valle Central. Es colaboradora habitual de La Abeja, el boletín semanal gratuito de The Bee sobre temas latinos.
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