(THE CENTER SQUARE) – Ohio has been awarded a $2.25 million grant to study and reevaluate the state’s air transportation needs.

The Federal Aviation Administration, a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, is providing the grant. The Airport Improvement Program, according to the FAA website, “provides grants to public agencies – and, in some cases, to private owners and entities – for the planning and development of public-use airports that are included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems.”

Of Ohio’s 659 airports, 99 are in the NPIAS.

Cleveland-Hopkins International and John Glenn Columbus International are medium-sized hubs; James M. Cox Dayton International is a small hub; and Akron-Canton Regional, Rickenbacker International in Columbus and Toledo Express are nonhub airfields.

Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field, Burke Lakefront in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County in Cleveland, and Ohio State University in Columbus are national. Seventeen airports are regional by NPIAS definitions.

The Airport Improvement Program, a release said, “supports projects that improve airport safety, capacity, security, and lessen environmental impact.”

In a release, Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown said, “Ohio airports are vital infrastructure supporting travel and commerce in our state. These investments will provide airports in Ohio with the resources they need to ensure the safety of their passengers and to support local economies for years to come.”

Editor's note: In June, Brown announced a $670,837 grant to the Knox County Commissioners & Knox County Airport Authority to reconstruct the existing Apron D pavement, taxi lane A pavement, taxi lane C pavement and taxi lane D pavement at Knox County Regional Airport.