Pensacola eyes airport grant

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- The Florida Department of Transportation is offering Pensacola International Airport a three-year, $11 million grant for infrastructure improvements city officials think will make the airport a competitor for aerospace companies. Mayor Ashton Hayward said the airport has great services and facilities, but needs apron space airside infrastructure to draw the aerospace sector and other commercial enterprises. The deal, which would require the city to pay half of a grant-funded project, has to be approved by the Pensacola City Council. Local leaders hope to benefit from the $600 million Airbus assembly line being built in Mobile, Ala., at Brookley Aeroplex. Pensacola has been courting Singapore-owned ST Aerospace to set up an operation in Pensacola. ST Aerospace provides maintenance services and has a major operation at Brookley. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 05/29/13) Previous