DOT awarded $7 million from its Small Community Air Service Development Program.
The Department of Transportation has named 16 beneficiaries of $7 million in grants from the Small Community Air Service Development Program.
The cities to receive the largest grants are:
| $750,000 | $700,000 | $500,000 | $450,000 | $400,000 |
| Bozeman, Mont. Columbus, Ga. Columbus, Miss. |
Boise, Idaho | Moline, Ill. Sheridan, Wyo. |
Redding, Calif. Roswell, N.M. |
Panama City, Fla. |
Smaller grants were awarded to Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss., which received $350,000, and Rapid City, S.D., which took home $325,000. Yakima, Wash., nabbed $290,000, and Watertown, N.Y., received $235,000. Cheyenne, Wyo., and Montgomery, Ala., both were awarded $200,000. DOT gave Eau Claire, Wis., $150,000.
The winners are located in 14 states; the department originally received applications for the 12-year-old grant program from 52 airports in 27 states.
The winners will use the grant money to help attract new carriers, marketing existing local services or even conduct expanded-service studies, according to a DOT press release.
“Our smaller communities need to be connected to the national and global economies to be competitive,” DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. “These grants will assist communities in obtaining more affordable and reliable air service for residents, which will help attract businesses and provide better travel options for the future.”