Tester Helps Secure Upgrade for Great Falls International Airport

New Taxiway Will Help Strengthen National Security, Boost Travel to the Region

(U.S. Senate) – As part of his ongoing initiative to #ConnectMT, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced more than $3 million to help the Great Falls International Airport construct a new taxiway, increasing the capacity for business and recreation travel to the city and helping the Montana Air National Guard with transportation and training.

“This is an economic boon for the Electric City,” Tester said. “By increasing capacity at the airport, we can strengthen the flying missions at MANG and boost the number of folks who can travel in and out of the city. This will bolster the local economy and strengthen our national security.”

The $3.35 million award comes from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Improvement Program, which helps support, update and expand air travel infrastructure across the country.

“The new taxi route will improve safety by reducing time on the runway and it will save fuel by reducing taxi times, particularly for the Montana Air National Guard and small aircrafts that are frequent users of this runway,” said John Faulkner, Great Falls International Airport Director. “We would like to thank Senator Tester and the FAA for facilitating this important project.”

Earlier this week Tester announced another $5 million to upgrade airports in Kalispell, Billings, Butte and Glendive, in addition to the nearly $9 million he secured for 20 local airports back in June.

In January, Tester also helped install a brand new state-of-the-art body scanner at the Great Falls International Airport after pushing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to increase security among rural airports for more than a year.