FAA Gives University Park Airport $1.4 Million Grant for Rehabilitation

The University Park Airport is getting a bit of a makeover thanks to some help from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA gave the State College airport a $1.4 million grant to fix up the runway’s apron, the area of the airport where aircraft park, load, and unload passengers.

The grant was announced by congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson in a press release Tuesday afternoon. Thompson said that the grant is just a small part of an airport maintenance initiative.

“This funding is part of a much larger project to maintain and rehabilitate the University Park Airport’s facilities, making sure it is kept up-to-date with FAA standards,” Thompson said.  “I commend the airport staff for their vision and hard work to ensure the airport serves our region for generations to come.”

That project is in the fifth of seven stages that will keep the Penn State-owned airport up to date with FAA standards and regulations. The apron covers nearly 400,000 square feet, and its restoration will include extended taxiways, utility infrastructure updates, and new parking lots at the airport — for cars, not planes.

“On behalf of the University Park Airport, I would like to thank Congressman Thompson for his continued support,” airport director Bryan Rodgers said. “The revitalization of the general aviation apron is a key part of our Sustainable Airport Master Plan. Federal support is vital to the implementation of this plan, and to maintaining our competitiveness in the region and Commonwealth.”

The University Park Airport is a public airport located in Benner Township. It’s the sixth busiest airport in the state and flies to major destinations including Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington D.C., Detroit, and Atlanta.