Midway International Airport to Receive Nearly $38 Million Federal Grant

(CHICAGO, ILLINOIS) Midway International Airport will receive $34,989,773 in federal funding in 2025 to improve airfield safety and reliability, U.S. Rep. Jesús Chuy García (D-Illinois) announced on August 20, 2025. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) is awarding the grant for runway and taxiway repairs and maintenance, a core safety need as Chicago airports face their busiest summer on record.

The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) will manage the work. Officials say the projects focus on repairing worn pavement, upgrading lighting and markings, and improving access routes for emergency crews. The CDA also emphasized that construction will be staged to keep passengers moving, with no expected impact on flight operations during the work.

The federal grant supports a broader $47 million overhaul of Runway 13C/31C that broke ground on June 5, 2025. That project includes intersecting taxiway upgrades, new guard lights, and a new service road to speed emergency response. City leaders said the federal money is a major part of the runway package, and the city is also seeking more than $37 million through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the FAA’s AIP for related work.

According to the CDA, the runway renewal fits within Midway’s five-year capital plan. Beyond airfield work, the plan calls for restroom renovations, roof replacements, and lighting upgrades in the parking garage. Another runway, 4L/22R, is slated for rehabilitation to keep airside traffic moving safely and on time. Southwest Airlines, Midway’s largest carrier, has backed the improvements, calling the work an investment in safe, steady operations for years to come.

Funding context and related grants

The AIP grant is part of a larger federal push to modernize airports across the United States. The FAA has announced more than $2 billion in airport grants nationwide in 2024–2025 for safety, infrastructure, and sustainability work. Midway also received a $555,019 FAA grant in September 2024 to help soundproof homes affected by airport noise.

Chicago’s airport system is scaling up its investment plans to match rising demand. The CDA’s proposed 2025 budget is $1.55 billion, an 8.7% increase from 2024, driven by federal funds and capital projects at both O’Hare and Midway. City officials say this spending helps keep runways safe, supports jobs, and keeps the airfield in good working order.

Some reports have cited “nearly $38 million” in federal grants for Midway. While funding packages often include multiple parts, the current official amount tied to runway and taxiway work, as of August 21, 2025, is $34,989,773. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, that figure reflects the latest federal award under the AIP, and any further updates would appear on federal and city websites. The FAA’s AIP program page provides project-level information and public grant listings at https://www.faa.gov/airports/aip.

“The funding underscores Midway’s role as a travel hub and a major employer on Chicago’s Southwest Side,” said Rep. Jesús Chuy García, framing the grant as a safety measure that also supports construction, maintenance, and airline jobs.

At the June groundbreaking for the runway overhaul, Mayor Brandon Johnson thanked federal partners and airline stakeholders, linking the runway work to broader economic goals for the city.

What it means for travelers, workers, and airlines

Travel demand in Chicago is surging. Aviation schedules point to nearly 17.8 million departing seats across the region’s airports in summer 2025, a record-setting volume that puts pressure on runway capacity and on-time performance.

The CDA says these Midway projects aim to:

• Reduce the chance of airfield slowdowns tied to aging pavement or outdated lighting.
• Help keep departures and arrivals steady during peak periods.
• Maintain predictable connections and fewer taxi delays during bad weather.

Airline perspective:

• Southwest Airlines and other carriers view a well-maintained airfield as critical for tight turn times and steady schedules, which are vital for network planning.

Local jobs and economy:

• Construction and maintenance work support thousands of direct and indirect jobs — from contractors and inspectors to service crews and suppliers.
• City leaders point to Midway as an anchor for the South Side economy; keeping runways in good shape protects that role as travel rebounds.

Project timeline and oversight

The grant moves through a standard federal-to-local process that the CDA has followed on past Midway projects:

1. Grant award and notice
   • The FAA notifies the City of Chicago and the CDA of the AIP award, including the scope focused on runway and taxiway repairs and maintenance.
2. Planning and contracts
   • The CDA finalizes design, permits, and bid packages.
   • For the current runway overhaul, K-Five Construction Corporation is the lead contractor.
3. Construction staging
   • Crews schedule pavement work, lighting, and taxiway fixes around daily flight patterns to avoid passenger disruption.
   • Safety barriers and inspections occur at each phase.
4. Reporting and compliance
   • The CDA provides regular progress updates to the FAA and other stakeholders, documenting safety checks and use of funds under federal guidelines.
5. Completion and re-designation
   • After work wraps, the airfield may see changes to runway or taxiway designations as part of modernization.
   • Example: In June 2025, the airport updated markings on another runway to reflect magnetic variation and current FAA standards.

Why the amount matters now

Airfield pavement is a living system: heavy aircraft loads, freeze-thaw cycles, and de-icing chemicals wear down surfaces, joints, and markings. If maintenance lags, cracks widen, water pools, and foreign object debris risks grow.

This grant-funded work addresses those issues before they affect safety or cause daylong delays. Even small improvements — like new guard lights at runway-taxiway crossings — can lower the risk of runway incursions.

The timing aligns with a wave of federal airport funding through at least fiscal year 2026, supported by ongoing AIP appropriations and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. For Midway, securing money now protects near-term operations and sets the airfield up for steady performance as flight volumes rise.

Important: The CDA stresses that safety remains the top goal. The agency says the current plan focuses on visible, high-impact work — smoother taxiways, clearer lighting, and reliable emergency access — without asking airlines to cut schedules or shift flights elsewhere. For travelers, the promise is simple: safer pavement under the wheels, and the same flight you booked.

Quick reference: key figures

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