SAN JOSE — Airports in the Bay Area and Monterey County are in line for nearly $400 million in federal assistance to help keep the travel hubs aloft during the economic tempest unleashed by the coronavirus.
Separately, the largest U.S. airlines have reached an agreement in principle with the U.S. Treasury Department for a $25 billion bailout in the form of a payroll support package, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue, and Alaska Airlines are among the major airlines that agreed to the bailout.
The money for the local airports is being made available through a $10 billion program within the CARES Act signed into law by President Donald Trump in late March and is designed to bolster airports that are being buffeted by the coronavirus fallout.
Passenger volumes at airports worldwide have imploded due to the collapse in air traffic. Airlines have chopped flights and some have halted service altogether to certain large cities.
At San Jose International Airport, passenger traffic has plummeted, according to unofficial statistics regarding the number of people who pass through the TSA checkpoints at the Silicon Valley travel hub.
During all of March, the TSA checkpoints at San Jose airport reported a 62.5 percent decrease compared with March 2019, airport officials said Tuesday.
From April 1 through April 13, traffic through the TSA checkpoints was down 97.1 percent compared to the same period during 2019.
“This $10 billion in emergency resources will help fund the continued operations of our nation’s airports during this crisis and save workers’ jobs,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said Tuesday.
In the Bay Area, $388.1 million in federal assistance is going to 17 airports, including the region’s three international airports. Another $12 million-plus is going to an airport in Monterey County.
San Jose International Airport received $65.6 million, while Oakland International Airport obtained $44.7 million, according to a post on the U.S. Department of Transportation site.
The largest amount of money was sent to the typically hyper-busy San Francisco International Airport, which received $254.8 million.
“This funding will support continuing operations and replace lost revenue resulting from the sharp decline in passenger traffic and other airport business due to the COVID-19 public health emergency,” the Transportation Department stated.
The CARES legislation allows for the federal funds to be distributed to all airports that are part of the national airport system.
“This includes all commercial service airports, all reliever airports, and some public-owned general aviation airports,” the Department of Transportation said.
Charles Shulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa obtained $19.7 million, Monterey Regional Airport received $12.7 million, and Concord’s Buchanan Field landed $1.05 million.
Hayward Executive Airport received $157,000. Byron Airport, Livermore Municipal Airport, Napa County Airport, Palo Alto Municipal Airport, Petaluma Municipal Airport, San Carlos Airport, Reed-Hillview Airport, and Nut Tree Airport in Vacaville each obtained $69,000. Half Moon Bay Airport, Healdsburg Municipal Airport, and San Martin Airport each received $30,000.
“The funds are available for airport capital expenditures, airport operating expenses including payroll and utilities, and airport debt payments,” the federal transportation agency said.
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