City of Albuquerque Aviation Department to Receive Third Round of Airport Rescue Grants

June 22, 2021

City of Albuquerque airports will be receiving a third round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant money as part of the ongoing initiative to offset COVID-19’s impacts to the Aviation Industry. These funds are part of $8 billion allocated for U.S. airports, announced today by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Albuquerque International Sunport is receiving $21,640,520 and Double Eagle II Airport is receiving $59,000. The funding will be used for enhanced cleaning programs, payroll, concessions rent relief, operational expenses, and COVID-related costs.

“The City’s airports and staff stepped up quickly to adapt to the changing travel environment, keeping folks safe and continuing operations even as revenue dried up in the depths of the pandemic. Today’s recovery funding is welcome news for our airports and the employees and local businesses that rely on them,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “While the sharp rebound in passenger traffic and the re-acquisition of flight routes at the Sunport is a promising start to recovery, we know there’s a long road ahead.”

“While we’ve made great strides with our recovery efforts, COVID-19 has presented long-term impacts,” said Nyika Allen, Director of Aviation for the City of Albuquerque. “These ARPA funds will continue to save jobs, provide rent relief for our concessionaire partners and allow us to recoup costs related to critical COVID-19 response measures.”

Since the start of the pandemic, the Aviation Department has secured funds from three rounds of grants, totaling $48,840,979 in federal COVID-19 relief funding.