WICOMICO COUNTY - The Salisbury Regional Airport has received one million dollars in federal funding to help extend their runway.
The current runway is 6400 feet, and will be extended to 7600 feet when the project is complete.
Maryland Senators Van Hollen (D-MD) and Senator Cardin (D-MD) announced the one million dollars for the runway extension.
Airport director Tony Rudy said the extension will especially help when planes take-off from the airport.
"We could probably land just about anything in here," Rudy said. "But for that aircraft to get off the ground again is another story."
Rudy said the airport extension will allow flights to take off at higher capacities as well. The director said, as of right now, a flight to Charlotte cannot be full because of the shorter runways.
"We're hoping that the extra length will help with other aircraft and whether they're either larger aircraft or ones going, say, further distances," Rudy said.
Christine Konrad, a flyer at the airport on Wednesday, said she thinks the project is a good idea.
"It'd be nice if more airlines could come in and give more opportunity to go other places from here," Konrad said.
The airport director told WBOC that the extension project is now fully funded, but they're waiting on signatures from the Department of Natural Resources for the land acquisition.
Once that's approved, the director says construction will begin shortly after, but there is no timetable for the construction yet.