Beatrice Airport receives $4.8 million federal grant

LINCOLN, Nebraska (KOLN) – Beatrice Municipal Airport received more than $4.8 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this summer to be used to remodel the apron and taxiway.

It is part of the $18 million awarded to 24 Nebraska airports through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program.

This money is provided in the form of federal grants and is intended to help improve the safety and infrastructure of the airports.

Beatrice Airport, which has been in existence since the 1940s, received the largest grant. Eppley Airfield in Omaha came in second with $3.46 million.

Dennis Schmidtt, the airport manager in Beatrice, wants to repair cracks in the pavement of the runway where pilots park their planes before taxiing.

The money will also go towards renovating the airport’s runway. The FAA requires airports to have a turnoff to the runway. At Beatrice, this is currently a straight stretch, so one of the taxiways will have to be moved further down.

Schmidtt said a functioning airport is important for local businesses to stimulate the economy.

“It’s basically the exit to Beatrice from the air,” he said. “For anyone who flies – and almost everyone does – it’s the access to the local area.”

Another update concerns the airport hangars, which are currently full and there is a waiting list for use.

Schmidtt said the grant will cover about 90 percent of the cost of everything the airport needs, and that about $600,000 is needed for the rest.

To keep the airport open, the project will be carried out in several phases, starting next spring and ending in the fall.

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