NH Airport Improvement Maintenance (AIM) Program

The New Hampshire Airport Improvement and Maintenance Program supports the state's goals of preserving and enhancing the state's aviation system by providing funding assistance to eligible airports for airport projects that focus on state objectives of airport safety, airspace access, economic development, and airport capacity.

  • Purpose, Eligible Projects, and Airports of NH AIM Program
  • Project Forms
  • Ineligible Projects – Ineligible project items include, but are not limited to: improvements to property or facilities not under the perpetual control of the airport sponsor, excessive spare parts, landscaping, and routine and low-cost maintenance work (e.g., weed spraying, snowplowing, utility bills, etc.)
  • Project Funding Shares – The NHDOT/BOA will participate in funding up to 80% of eligible project costs. Determination of the funding shares will be made at the project scoping meeting. NH Aim Program funds cannot be used as any share of FAA's Airport Improvement Program projects. The airport sponsor or other non-NHDOT funding source must contribute the remaining project costs. If the non-NHDOT funding is not forthcoming, the project will not be funded.
  • Source of State Share of NH AIM Program – The funds collected by the state from New Hampshire airway tolls (a.k.a., aviation fuel taxes) via NH RSA 422:34 are used to fund the state share of NH AIM Program. The amount of airway tolls collected annually fluctuates with the quantity of aviation fuel sold in NH. Historically, NH's airway tolls collected has ranged from approximately $189,000/year to $337,000/years over the last 20 years. In state fiscal year 2018, approximately $251,000 in airway tolls were collected in NH.
  • Granting Schedule – NHDOT/BOA will advertise a solicitation annually for pre-applications from eligible airports for projects proposed to be funded through the New Hampshire AIM Program. The following are the deadlines for this program's various submissions for the first year of the program (dates may change for subsequent years but airport sponsors will be notified in advance of any changes):
    • January 31, 20XX: pre-application submission to the Bureau
    • June 1, 20XX: grant application submission based on negotiated fees, quotes, or bids to the Bureau
    • June 30, 20XX: initiate distribution of grant offers to airport sponsors
    • September 15, 20XX Bureau to issue notice to proceed following Governor & Council review and approval of grant offers

    *Only eligible project work tasks necessary to obtain negotiated, quoted, or bid value are allowed prior to grant issuance. All other work tasks must wait until the grant offer has been approved by New Hampshire's Governor & Council

  • Project Contracts – Airport sponsors will utilize their own contracts for eligible project goods and services. These contracts must include an insurance requirement based on a sliding scale of the value of the anticipated project.
  • Program Requirements
  • Program Contacts- Please contact Carol Niewola, Senior Aviation Planner at NHDOT/BOA for assistance with this grant program at 603-271-1675 or carol.niewola@dot.nh.gov