FAA awards Purdue Airport $1.5M grant for new Earhart Terminal

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday (Oct. 24) announced that the Purdue University Airport will receive a $1.5M grant to support construction of the new Amelia Earhart Terminal.

State legislative leaders, including Gov. Eric Holcomb, U.S. Sens. Todd Young and Mike Braun, and U.S. Rep. Jim Baird propelled the grant forward, signing letters of support to the FAA. The FAA awarded funds for the new terminal based on the existing facility’s age and the need to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

The new, approximately 9,400-square-foot facility will be located west of the existing terminal and include restrooms, a waiting area, baggage claim, ticketing and passenger screening. It will be constructed to comply with Transportation Security Administration and FAA requirements.

Purdue held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $11.8 million Earhart Terminal and celebrated the return of commercial air service on May 14. Purdue’s Board of Trustees gave approval to plan, finance, construct and award construction contracts for the new terminal last fall.

Construction is underway and is scheduled to be completed next September.

Commercial air service is currently available at Purdue University Airport through an agreement with Surf Air Mobility Inc. Southern Airways Express, a Surf Air subsidiary, offers nonstop service between the Purdue airport and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport seven days a week, with 24 weekly round-trip flights.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives