The Alpena County Regional Airport got more than money when the federal government announced it would receive $18 million from federal coronavirus relief dollars.

It got the chance to stand on its own.

The airport is important to the region’s economy, connecting Alpena to Detroit and, from there, the world. It’s been a worthwhile investment from Alpena County’s general fund, which has subsidized the airport to the tune of about $300,000 a year.

But the $18 million will give the airport the chance to not only run operations but also make investments that, over the long term, could make the airport self-sustainable.

As Airport Manager Steve Smigelski told News staff writer Steve Schulwitz recently, the airport will use most of the federal money “to create revenue generators. We are going to build the new hangars, storage facilities, a restaurant, and other things.”

The money will also go toward paying off bond debt the county took on to build a new terminal at the airport.

Those are all good things.

The taxpayer subsidies have been worthwhile, but, if the airport can stand on its own, the county can tuck that money away to bolster its own budget and later invest in other projects important to the community.

That must be done, and we are glad the airport now has the chance to do so.