Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that $783,750 in federal funding was awarded to the Town of North Elba through the Department of Transportation Airport Improvement Program (AIP). North Elba will use this federal grant to expand the apron at Lake Placid Airport. The expansion of the apron will provide additional space for aircraft parking.
“This Department of Transportation grant will ensure that Lake Placid’s Airport can continue to serve residents and all visitors to the Adirondack Region,” said Senator Schumer. “Growing the space for aircraft parking is a sure sign that Lake Placid is ready to take off for the summer season.”
“This is an important investment for Lake Placid and the Adirondack region,” Senator Gillibrand said. “Upgrading the airport’s runway will help provide better, safer service for travelers, and offer better access to the vast natural beauty of Lake Placid to help give a boost to local tourism.”
The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) through the Federal Aviation Administration provides grants to public agencies — and, in some cases, to private owners and entities — for the planning and development of public-use airports that are included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). The NPIAS, which is prepared and published every 2 years, identifies public-use airports that are important to public transportation and contribute to the needs of civil aviation, national defense, and the Postal service.
The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) was established by the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982. Since then, the AIP has been amended several times, most recently with the passage of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. Funds obligated for the AIP are drawn from the Airport and Airway Trust fund, which is supported by user fees, fuel taxes, and other similar revenue sources.