Moore County Airport (KSOP) in North Carolina has been awarded a $2.5 million Airport Economic Development Grant to expand aviation infrastructure and support new corporate hangar development.

The funding, awarded through the North Carolina Department of Transportation's Airports Economic Development Fund, will support the expansion of taxi lanes serving new corporate hangars currently under construction as well as development of additional hangar capacity to meet growing demand.

Airport officials said the improvements are expected to facilitate hangar construction associated with the creation of more than 75 aviation jobs.

The grant comes amid broader expansion efforts at Moore County Airport, including ongoing hangar development and construction of a new fixed base operator terminal. The airport is also pursuing the restoration of commercial air service to Moore County.

“Airports like Moore County Airport are critical drivers of economic development across North Carolina,” said Pat Molamphy, at-large member of the North Carolina Board of Transportation. “These investments strengthen local communities by supporting business growth, attracting private investment, and creating high-quality jobs.”

The Airports Economic Development Fund is a performance-based program that provides grants to North Carolina's general aviation airports for time-sensitive capital improvement projects tied to private investment and job creation. Since its creation in 2017, the program has funded projects expected to generate more than $224 million in additional investment across the state.

For the Moore County Airport Authority, the funding will allow infrastructure projects to move forward sooner than would have been possible using local funding alone.

“We are truly thankful to DOT’s leadership and all those involved with this grant award,” said Adam Kiker, chairman of the Moore County Airport Authority. “The funding allows us to support businesses that want to invest in our community and positions us to serve future economic development activity in Moore County.”

Owned by Moore County and operated by the Moore County Airport Authority, KSOP serves corporate and private aviation, military activity, flight training, aircraft maintenance, charter operations and other aviation businesses. The airport reports generating more than $140 million in annual economic output.

Located near Pinehurst and Southern Pines, the airport traces its history to 1929 and previously supported scheduled commercial airline service until 2001.