49 U.S.C. § 47116 — Small airport fund

(a) Existence and Amounts in Fund — The Secretary has a small airport fund made up of 87.5 percent of the money not apportioned under section 47114 because of the fee-related reduction in section 47114(f).

(b) Distribution of Amounts — Each fiscal year the Secretary may distribute this fund, for any purpose section 48103 allows, as follows: (1) not more than 25 percent for grants for projects at small hub airports; (2) not less than 25 percent for grants to sponsors of public-use airports, except commercial service airports; and (3) not less than 50 percent for grants to sponsors of commercial service airports no larger than a nonhub airport.

(c) Authority To Receive Grant Not Dependent on Participation in Block Grant Pilot Program — An airport in a state that is part of the State block grant pilot program under section 47128 may still receive a grant under this section, to the same extent as if the state were not in that program.

(d) Priority Consideration for Certain Projects — (1) In making grants to sponsors described in subsection (b)(2), the Secretary must give priority to multi-year projects to build new runways that it finds cost-beneficial and that would increase capacity in a region of the United States. (2) Despite a normally applicable limit in section 47124(b)(4)(A), the Secretary may give grants under this section to a sponsor in the contract tower program for constructing or improving a nonapproach control tower, and for acquiring and installing related air traffic control and communications equipment. These grants still follow the distribution shares in subsection (b) and the eligibility rules in section 47124(b)(4)(B).

(e) General Aviation Transient Aprons — When distributing money to sponsors described in subsections (b)(2) and (b)(3), the Secretary must set aside 5 percent of each amount for projects to build or rehabilitate aprons meant for itinerant general aviation aircraft parking.