Asheville Regional Airport has received a significant boost to its plans to double its terminal size: a $10 million-plus federal grant.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, as well as U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, joined airport officials the morning of Nov. 22 to announce the funding and what it means to the burgeoning regional facility, which has seen a 67 percent increase in passenger service in the past five years. That makes AVL, which also crossed the million-passenger mark last year, one of the fastest-growing airports in the country.

Chao noted that aviation supports more than 5% of the U.S. gross domestic product, nearly $1.6 trillion in economic activity and almost 11 million jobs. The aerospace industry is a vital link in the booming economic growth the United States is enjoying right now, which includes a 3.6% unemployment rate, the lowest in 50 years.

The Coastal Carolina Airport in New Bern will receive $4.9 million for a new aircraft and firefighting station, bringing the total funding granted for North Carolina to $14.9 million. Asheville Regional is in elite company with its $10 million allotment.