Syracuse's Hancock Airport is getting a $4.5 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration that officials say will help keep flights on time. Airport Commissioner Christina Callahan says the funds will pay for a new taxiway, and area where diverted planes can go.
"We have long been an airport of choice for diverted aircraft, and there are times where we find ourselves in situations, whether it's weather related, closures, we are getting many aircraft at a time. And we want to make sure we have parking for these aircraft, and they don't interfere with scheduled operations," said Callahan.
The new area will allow regularly scheduled flights access to gates that might have otherwise been used by an empty plane.
Callahan says work should begin soon on the re-paving of a portion of the abandoned runway that sits at the airport, and the extension of one of the existing taxiways.