The Federal Aviation Administration recently notified St. Louis Downtown Airport that KCPS now meets the standard to be recognized as a National General Aviation Airport. The designation is derived from the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), which identifies existing and proposed airports that are considered significant to national air transportation and thus may be eligible to receive federal funds.
Airports with this national status support the national airport system by providing communities access to national and international markets in multiple states and throughout the United States. National airports have very high levels of aviation activity with many jets and multiengine propeller aircraft. To achieve national status, St. Louis Downtown Airport had to meet three activity requirements, including:
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- 5,000 or more instrument operations
- 11 or more based jets
- 20 or more international flights or 500 or more interstate departures
While instrument operations at KCPS have long exceeded the requirement, the airport recently met the based jet requirement, triggering the move up from regional to national status. The move is significant for KCPS as it opens the door for our airport to receive up to $1 million in additional federal funding in FY25 and FY26 for eligible airport improvement projects, so we can provide even better infrastructure and services.