US airports benefit from economic stimulus
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US President Barack Obama’s US$787 billion economic stimulus programme will see some US$1.1 billion being injected into a programme that would help airports in the country upgrade.
A USA Today report said Airport Improvement Program (AIP) has given the Federal Aviation Administration money to give out to airports each year for such upgrades.
“It’s an additional billion dollars. That’s tens of thousands of jobs,” it quoted Todd Hauptli of the American Association of Airport Executives as saying.
The money would allow some airports to upgrade security checkpoints and install a new system for detecting explosives in checked luggage.
The stimulus package fell short of the industry’s goal of getting a minimum of US$3 billion and it’s far short of financing what airports said they needed, the report added.
The FAA estimates airports have US$49.7 billion worth of projects eligible for federal construction money in the next five years.
“(US$1.1 billion) is not a lot of money,” Rick Vacar, Director of Aviation for the Houston Airport System, was quoted saying. “Large airports can use a billion by themselves.”
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