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May 24--The Kinston Regional JetPort is set to receive $150,000 in federal grants during the next fiscal year.
The funds, designated for airport improvements, come to the airport every year from the Federal Aviation Administration and are administered locally by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
The Kinston airport, around which the Global TransPark has been built, is one of 62 'General Aviation' airports in North Carolina.
General Aviation is the term given by the FAA to local airports that do not host commercial carriers, said Richard Walls, director of the DOT's Division of Aviation.
Walls said the federal government allocates an estimated $20 million in block grants for general aviation airport improvements -- other revenue sources for such airports include fuel sales, hangar rentals, concessions and others.
"In essence, the GA airports are guaranteed $150,000 per year from the (federal) side," he explained.
The actual figure for the FAA block grants received can change once all receipts are tallied, though. Walls said the Division of Aviation received about $29 million from the feds this year, in addition to its state budget of more than $17 million.
The funding was announced during a recent meeting of the N.C. Aeronautics Council held late last week.
An advisory board to the Division of Aviation, the council meets around the state, usually every month or every two months. The 15-member board met in Lincolnton last Thursday, the same day a new terminal at the Lincoln County airport was dedicated.
Council members also received a financial report on the Division of Aviation, which included federal funds for airports.
"They don't have any decision-making power," DOT spokesman Jerry Higgins said. "They meet and talk about (aviation) issues and act as an advisory board to the Division of Aviation."
David Anderson can be reached at 252-559-1077 or [email protected].
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For more information on the N.C. Aeronautics Council, visit ncdot.gov/aviation/council/default.html
