BIL Funding Helps Expansion, Safety Efforts at Regional Airport

The infrastructure spending law has advantages beyond Airport Improvement Program grants.

By Jim Tise, FAA

In 2019, the City of Williston, North Dakota, opened a brand-new airport to meet travel demand spurred by increased oil and gas exploration. $112 million of the airport’s costs was funded by the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP).

Now the airport is planning additional improvements. To do that, it has turned to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) passed in 2021.

“The BIL funding is something that is critically needed for all airports across the country,” said Anthony Dudas, director of Williston Basin International Airport, which is in the state’s northwest corner. “Airports will continue to have greater and greater needs.”

Once known as a prairie, agricultural community, Williston experienced significant growth with increased oil and gas extraction starting around 2010. Passenger enplanements soared from about 10,000 a year to 10,000 a month.

In consultation with the FAA and state and local aviation authorities, it became clear that a new airport with greater capacity was needed to accommodate the influx of workers, serve larger aircraft and expand air service.

But just like with new homes, there are often new needs that accompany new airports. First on the list was additional snow removal equipment, a must for an area that experiences annual snowfall of about four feet.

Williston Airport used about $2 million in BIL funding to upgrade its snow removal and de-icing capabilities and plans to tap another $1.2 million in BIL grants to build new aircraft hangars. Hangar space is not only a convenience that the airport can offer aviators, it is also a source of revenue.

“That’ll go a long way to buy down the construction costs and make rental rates more palatable,” said Dudas.

Finally, the airport plans to expand its general aviation apron. BIL funding will provide $3.2 million towards that expansion.

Looking back, Dudas said he wished BIL funding had been available when Williston was building the new airport.

“Hopefully, we can see continued increases in the level of support from the federal government,” he said.