File photoThe federal government has awarded a grant of more than $6.5 million to Key Field Airport in Meridian.

The federal government has awarded a grant of more than $6.5 million to Key Field Airport in Meridian.

“We’re excited…to be able to bring the money into the community and hopefully help the economy in the community,” said Meridian Airport Authority President Tom Williams, “but also to keep Key Field as a viable, strong aviation facility for Mississippi.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation, on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration, awarded grants to 26 facilities across the state, a congressional press release said on Wednesday.

These are Airport Improvement Program grants, which can be used for the planning and development of public-use airports, according to the FAA.

The largest of the FAA grants announced on Wednesday for Mississippi facilities was the grant for Key Field Airport, which is $6,543,750. The funding will be used to rehabilitate the airport’s runway and reconstruct a taxiway, according to the press release.

Meridian Regional Airport is part of Key Field Airport. Williams explained that the airport terminal building is called Meridian Regional Airport, but the airfield itself is named Key Field Airport.

The Air National Guard and the Army National Guard also use Key Field Airport.

The airport will use part of the funding to put a new asphalt surface on the runway, which is the longest public runway in Mississippi.

“That runway was last re-paved in 1999,” Williams said, “so it is due for rehabilitation.”

He said the work on the runway has to be carried out at nighttime, which somewhat increases the cost and complexity of the project. But the nighttime work allows the airport to be open during the day.

Williams hopes that the work will take place in late summer and be completed by October.

The grant will also be used to strengthen one of the airport’s taxiways.

“They’ll actually dig up this taxiway and reconstruct it from the dirt up,” he said.

The new taxiway will be able to handle heavier aircraft. Williams expected that the work on the taxiway will be carried out this summer.