KING CITY — King City’s Mesa Del Rey Airport is set for another round of federal investment as part of a new funding package announced Friday by California’s U.S. senators.
The airport will receive $146,519 from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program to update its existing pavement management plan.
The funding is part of nearly $109 million in FAA grants awarded to 51 California airports. The grants will support projects including runway and taxiway rehabilitation, airport noise mitigation, terminal construction, safety improvements, passenger boarding bridges, lighting upgrades and other airport infrastructure.
Monterey Regional Airport, the other Monterey County airport receiving funding in the latest round, was awarded $2,368,257 for construction of a new 66,500-square-foot terminal to accommodate passenger and baggage movement.
The latest award continues a string of federal investments in Mesa Del Rey Airport.
Last September, the airport received $151,062 through an Airport Infrastructure Grant for the remaining eligible portion of a project to install runway end identifier lights and a precision approach path indicator system for Runway 11. The project was intended to bring the airport into conformity with current standards.
An additional $439,720 was awarded to the City of King in August 2025 through an Airport Infrastructure Grant for the same Runway 11 lighting project. The two grants funded portions of the overall project.
Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, both D-Calif., announced the latest awards Aug. 14, saying the investments will help modernize airports and strengthen the state’s aviation system.
“From upgrading runways and taxiways to reducing airport noise and improving passenger facilities, these investments will make airports across California safer and more reliable,” Schiff said. “I’m proud to help deliver federal funding that will strengthen our transportation infrastructure, create economic opportunities and better serve communities across the Golden State.”
“California’s airports are critical to the millions of travelers, workers and goods that keep our economy moving. Investing in this infrastructure means safer runways, shorter delays, and airports built to handle the demands of our growing state,” Padilla said. “When we modernize our airports, we’re investing directly in jobs, in tourism, and in California’s competitiveness for decades to come.”
The latest awards follow other federal funding secured for California airports by Schiff and Padilla. Last month, the senators announced $107 million in grants for 16 California airports, including Oakland, Long Beach, Fresno and San Jose.
