Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced $117,412 for the Elmira/Corning Regional Airport from the Federal Aviation Administration. The federal funding will be used by the airport to rehabilitate off-airport beacons in the high terrain surrounding the airport. The existing beacons are forty to fifty years old and have reached the end of their useful life. Rehabilitation of the beacons will include repair and replacement of the support towers and electrical service. This project will ensure that the beacons provide reliable service to maintain safe operations at the airport.
“This Department of Transportation grant will help ensure that Elmira/Corning Regional can continue to safely serve residents, businesses and visitors to region for years to come,” said Senator Schumer. “Maintaining beacons in the airport’s surrounding area is essential for the growth, safety and success of Elmira/Corning Regional Airport.”
“This is an important investment for the Elmira/ Corning Airport and the surrounding region,” Senator Gillibrand said. “Updating the airport’s beacon system will help provide better, safer service for travelers and businesses, and help strengthen the local economy.”
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.