by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:16 AM ET, Wed June 23, 2021
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced airports around the United States were awarded $8 billion in federal grants to help them offset the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to The Associated Press, the majority of the financial aid will be shared with larger airports with commercial airline service that incurred a steep drop in air travel and a loss of revenue.
The FAA revealed it would award $6.5 billion in grants based on the number of passenger boardings and $800 million for rent relief to companies operating concessions such as food and retail outlets in terminals.
To be eligible to receive the money handled by the FAA, airports must retain at least 90 percent of the workers they employed before the pandemic. President Joe Biden approved the grants in March to "protect airport jobs and construction projects as travel recovers."
FAA officials said hundreds of facilities would be awarded money, including $175.7 million for Seattle-Tacoma International, $115 million for Philadelphia International, $74.3 million for Daniel K. Inouye International in Honolulu, $56.2 million for St. Louis Lambert International, and $50.6 million for Raleigh-Durham International in North Carolina.
The FAA has also joined forces with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to issue a strong warning to travelers about being disruptive on flights or failing to wear a mask in areas where they are mandated.
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