Missoula Airport Gets $3.39M in Federal Funding for New Terminal

Feb. 27—The Missoula International Airport will be getting a big chunk of federal money to help build a new $67 million terminal building.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced that the airport will be getting a total of $3,390,850 through a Federal Aviation Administration grant.

Airport director Cris Jensen said about $97,000 will go to help airport concessionaires such as restaurants and car rental companies get through the pandemic. The rest will go to help build the new terminal building, which is under construction and expected to be open by early 2022. For example, some of the money may be spent on the new parking lot and other infrastructure.

"The specifics are yet to be determined," Jensen said.

On Friday, Montana's two U.S. senators hailed the news in statements.

"Communities across Montana rely on airports to support their local economies and keep folks connected," said Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat. "The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench in air travel for the last year, making it harder for our local airports to keep up with costs and continue critical infrastructure projects. I'm proud to have helped secure funding that will allow airports across the state to continue serving their communities long after this crisis is over."

Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican, was a member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee that approved the Airport Improvement Program money.

"COVID-19 has been hard on Montana's tourism and aviation sectors. As we're working our way out of this pandemic and Montana airports begin to recover, it's critical that we support local infrastructure," Daines said. "These grants will deliver much needed economic relief to our airports and in turn help support hospitality jobs by bringing more visitors to our great state."

More than $20 million will be split by 68 airports in Montana, and Missoula is getting the third most behind Bozeman and Billings.

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