Senator Collins Speaks at Eastport Municipal Airport Community Day Celebration

Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for individual photos.

Eastport, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins delivered remarks at the inaugural Airport Community Day at Eastport Municipal Airport. The event was held to celebrate the completion of major upgrades to the airport, including a new terminal and runway, as well as lighting and infrastructure improvements. Elected officials—including State Senator Marianne Moore, State Representative Artie Mingo, Eastport City Council President Billy Boone, and Eastport City Manager Brian Schuth—and dozens of local residents were in attendance for the celebration.

Senator Collins also spoke at the groundbreaking held at the airport in 2020 when construction began on these airport improvements.

“Eastport Municipal Airport helps connect Downeast Maine to the world. Just as important, and to the benefit of those not fortunate enough to live here, it connects the world to Downeast Maine,” said Senator Collins during her remarks. “Maine’s smaller airports are vital pieces of our state’s infrastructure that promote job creation, tourism, and economic development throughout the surrounding communities. That is why, as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, one of my greatest priorities is to ensure that Maine’s transportation needs are met.”

Nearly $7 million in federal funding for the project was awarded to Eastport in 2019 and 2024. This funding was made possible by the $1 billion in supplemental Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds provided in 2019 and $5 billion in Airport Terminal Program (ATP) funds provided in 2024 that Senator Collins secured as Chair of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee and as one of 10 senators who negotiated the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Both the AIP and ATP supplemental funding streams were specifically designed to support small and non-primary airports like Eastport Municipal Airport.

###