The Wichita Eagle

Eisenhower National Airport has received two federal grants totaling over $15 million.

The city of Wichita announced Tuesday that the Wichita Airport Authority has received an $8.6 million Federal Aviation Administration grant for work on the longest runway at Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, or ICT.

“Preserving and extending the life of one of our most important infrastructure assets — our longest runway — is necessary if we are to continue to attract larger and heavier commercial aircraft,” said Brad Christopher, assistant director of airports, in a news release. “This infrastructure is also critical to our important aircraft manufacturing tenant stakeholders — Bombardier and Textron.”

Sen. Jerry Moran was involved in getting the $8.6 million grant. He and other members of the state’s congressional delegation had sent a letter in support of the grant to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

“Wichita is an important economic hub, and the ICT Airport plays a vital role in connecting the Air Capital of the World to the aviation industry and beyond,” Moran said in a statement. “I was pleased to provide support for this project, which will help extend the airport’s capabilities, and I look forward to working with community leaders to see it through to completion.”

The airport had previously received an FAA grant award of $6.7 million for replacing the center 50-feet of the runway’s “keel” section. Rep. Ron Estes was involved in getting that grant.

“As Kansas’ largest commercial airport, Eisenhower is critical for our region’s transportation needs, connectivity and overall economy,” Estes previously said in a statement. “This grant will ensure the airport’s runways are viable for years to come and is great news for our region and state.”

Click here to read the full article.