Wyden, Merkley Announce $140 Million in COVID-19 Relief for Oregon Airports

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon airports will receive more than $140 million to help them respond to the economic fallout from the coronavirus public health crisis.

The funding for airports from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and. Economic Security (CARES) Act allows them to cover operating expenses that arise from sharp air travel declines and other economic losses in the wake of COVID-19.

“The economic impact from this global pandemic has devastated airports in Oregon and nationwide,” Wyden said. “More federal help will be needed to support these key travel connections throughout Oregon, but I am gratified these resources are en route to ensure our state’s airports will continue running in communities that rely on them for travel, the transport of goods and more.”

“This relief funding is incredibly important to help Oregon’s airports, large and small, deal with the economic impacts of the coronavirus outbreak,” Merkley said. “These assets are economic hubs for communities across our state, and we need to make sure they have the resources they need to get to the other side of this crisis.”

“Being able to secure nearly $9 million through the Federal Airport Relief package fills a critical need for Redmond Municipal Airport,” said Redmond Mayor George Endicott. “Oregon is well served by the leadership of Senators Wyden and Merkley and during times like these their good leadership has delivered results.  We are greatly appreciative.”

“Eastern Oregon Regional Airport is critical to our region, but maintenance of such an enormous asset has always strained the City’s limited resources,” said Pendleton Mayor John Turner. “In recent years, as we’ve invested to build a premier UAS range, those maintenance costs have risen, so these funds could not be arriving at a better time.   They will allow the City to expedite game-changing projects that would have taken years to accomplish otherwise.   We cannot thank Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley enough for their role in making this happen.”  

“This pandemic has been a tremendous hardship for Pendleton’s airport, Boutique Air, and our local business community, so this award comes as a complete surprise and brings us some much-needed positive news,” said Steve Chrisman, Pendleton Airport Manager & Economic Development Director. “Even with the recent successes of the Pendleton UAS Range, it still costs money to make money, and running an airport this size is a burden on a small municipality.  This perfectly timed infusion is going to allow us to eliminate debt and accelerate planned projects, which will unshackle the earning and job creation potential of this airport.  This is very exciting news and Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley have supported us every step of the way.”

“We credit Senator Wyden and the Oregon Congressional Delegation with securing this critical funding for airports across the nation, including keeping the Eugene Airport fully operational during this unprecedented time,” said Acting Eugene Airport Director Cathryn Stephens, A.A.E. “We know we are now on solid footing to maintain staffing levels and move forward with planned infrastructure projects.”

“We are absolutely delighted to see this relief make its way to the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport.  Our aeronautical revenues seemed to have disappeared overnight,” said Jerry Brienza, Airport Director for Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport. “This necessary funding will ensure that the airport remains open, operational, and safe.  These funds will also be used to help retain employees and pay airport debt service.  We appreciate the difficult decisions that Senators Merkley and Wyden, and Congressman Walden, had to make to stabilize the aviation communities.  We applaud their continued efforts on the Hill.”

The $140.1 million in grants for Oregon airports are as follows:

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