The Salisbury-Ocean City: Wicomico Regional Airport will receive $18.1 million in federal economic stimulus funds as part of Congressional emergency legislation to help airports weather Covid-19.

The grant is from the CARES Act which provided $10 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration to allow critical safety and capacity projects to continue during the pandemic, according to 1st District Congressman Andy Harris

It was unclear as to how the money coming to the Salisbury airport will be spent. Wayne Strausburg, Wicomico County’s Director of Administration, said he was awaiting guidance from the FAA. 

The funding is designed to protect general aviation airports and maintain small and rural communities’ access to aviation services, according to the Aviation Pros website.

The money may be used for any purpose on which airport revenue may lawfully be spent, according to the website.

In addition to Salisbury, five other airports in the First Congressional District will receive funding:

• Cambridge-Dorchester Regional Airport: $30,000
• Crisfield-Somerset County Airport: $1,000
• Easton Airport – Newnam Field: $157,000
• Ocean City Municipal Airport: $30,000
• Bay Bridge Airport (Stevensville): $30,000

“I support our local regional airports and the rural communities they serve on the Eastern Shore,” Harris said. “These small businesses support badly needed jobs in our local communities, and during this pandemic and economic disruption, I thank the FAA for quickly distributing funding to airports in the 1st District. I will continue to work to support jobs on the Eastern Shore.”