Wilmington International Airport is receiving more than $6.5 million boost from the federal government's pandemic relief efforts.

The funds, from the American Rescue Plan Act, are intended to provide the airport assistance in responding to COVID-19, an airport announcement stated Friday. They are part of $8 billion in grants the FAA is awarding to airports nationwide. 

The money may be used for costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, combating the spread of pathogens and debt service payments, according to the ILM release.

Funds may also be used to provide relief from rent and minimum annual guarantees for eligible airport concessions, the release stated.

"The airport has not yet determined specific expenses to apply the funding to, but will draw from the funds as needed through the period of their availability, which expires in September of 2024," said Granseur Dick, facilities director for ILM, in an email Friday.

In the release, Dick stated, “ILM would like to thank Congress and the FAA for their support of the aviation industry during the pandemic. These funding efforts assist the economic recovery of ILM and airports across the nation and have helped ensure that the transportation and safety needs of the communities we serve are met.”

In April last year, transportation officials announced that ILM was eligible for more than $19.8 million in federal funding to help offset losses from the sharp drop in airline traffic because of COVID-19.

That money was part of $10 billion going to airports nationwide from the CARES Act stimulus package.

In a Greater Wilmington Business Journal story in May last year, ILM officials said the airport was using the money for continuing operations and to replace lost revenue. 

The airport experienced a 38% drop, from about $16.2 million in 2019 to about $10 million last year, in operational revenues and collections during the 2020 calendar year, Dick said.

Other amounts allocated to North Carolina airports by the FAA from the recent American Rescue Plan money include: