A grant worth $19,415 from the B.C. Government will go to the Fairmont Hot Springs Airport to help upgrade its runway lights.
The Province said the Fairmont Airport is included among 27 other regional airports that are set to receive a share of $9.28 million in grants.
Those airports and the provincial and federal governments have partnered to develop a coordinated approach to support the travel sector which has seen severe impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know the pandemic has caused financial stress for many industries and significantly impacted our aviation sector throughout B.C., including our community airports,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “But we’re also looking to better days ahead, post-pandemic. That’s why we’re taking action to support communities with important infrastructure upgrades so we can boost jobs, tourism and trade that will give us a head start with B.C.’s economic recovery.”
In the Kootenays specifically, four airports will get a combined total of $618,835 to pay for upgrades:
- Fairmont Hot Springs Airport
- $19,415
- Nelson (Norman Stibbs) Airport
- $159,420
- Trail Regional Airport
- $65,000
- West Kootenay Regional Airport
- $375,000
The Fairmont Hot Springs Airport will use its funding to pay for a new set of runway and end identifier lights.
According to the Provincial Government, the grants come from the B.C. Air Access Program, which is a cost-share program that provides funding to improve airport infrastructure. This can include safety improvements, increased economic opportunities and addressing environmental concerns.
Through this program, the B.C. Government has given over $32.5 million to 51 airports since 2017.
