Sep. 21—Ontario International Airport has received nearly $16 million from the Federal Aviation Administration earmarked for runway and taxiway repair and maintenance.

The funding goes beyond what yearly maintenance normally costs the airport and will be directed toward major repairs, said Steve Lambert, a spokesperson for the airport.

According to Lambert, the airport spends about $3 million on runway maintenance and repair each year. ONT applied for the FAA funding this past winter.

With the FAA funding, ONT plans to cover concrete and surface repairs as well as repairs to underground circuitry, all things the airport needs to continue operating, Lambert said.

The grant funding is part of the FAA's 2023 Airport Improvement Program. The grant is for airport infrastructure projects such as runway and taxiway improvement, signage, lighting and airport markings.

According to the FAA, airports are entitled to a certain amount of funding per year to keep up with maintenance and could petition for more funding if projects exceed that amount.

Funding is based on the airport's passenger volume. Lambert said ONT expects to hit 6 million passengers this year compared to the 4 million the airport saw when it first returned to local control in 2016.

Based on its passenger volume, the airport was entitled to $4 million from the FAA program, but the agency awarded another $11 million via discretionary funds, according to its website.

No date has been set for the projects at ONT, Lambert said, but officials expect to begin the work sometime this fall.

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