FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) FAA Contract Tower (FCT) Competitive Grant Program

The Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces the opportunity to apply for up to $120 million in FY 2026 Airport Infrastructure Grant funds for the FCT competitive grant program, made available under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA), Pub. L. 117-58. The purpose of the FCT competitive grant program is to make annual grants available to eligible airports for airport-owned airport traffic control tower (ATCT) projects that address the aging infrastructure of the nation’s airports. The FAA will consider ATCT projects that sustain, construct, repair, improve, rehabilitate, modernize, replace, or relocate non-approach control towers; or acquire and install air traffic control, communications, and related equipment to be used in those towers; or construct a remote tower certified by the FAA including acquisition and installation of air traffic control, communications, or related equipment.

The Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces the opportunity to apply for up to $120 million in FY 2026 Airport Infrastructure Grant funds for the FCT competitive grant program, made available under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA), Pub. L. 117-58. The purpose of the FCT competitive grant program is to make annual grants available to eligible airports for airport-owned airport traffic control tower (ATCT) projects that address the aging infrastructure of the nation’s airports. The FAA will consider ATCT projects that sustain, construct, repair, improve, rehabilitate, modernize, replace, or relocate non-approach control towers; or acquire and install air traffic control, communications, and related equipment to be used in those towers; or construct a remote tower certified by the FAA including acquisition and installation of air traffic control, communications, or related equipment.

See the link to the FY 2026 NOFO for eligibility information. Eligible applicants are those airport sponsors approved in the FAA’s Contract Tower Program or Contract Tower Cost Share Program as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 47124, and normally eligible for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) competitive grants as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 47115. This includes a public agency, private entity, state agency, Indian Tribe or Pueblo owning a public-use National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) airport, the Secretary of the Interior for Midway Island airport, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. For additional eligibility categories and further details on each eligible applicant category, see AIP Handbook Table 2-1 in the following weblink: https://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/aip_handbook/media/AIP-Handbook-Order-5100-38D-Chg1.pdf. For more information on the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), visit: https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/npias