Government Announces Subsidies for Air Service to Rural Areas to Expire as Early as This Weekend
Federal officials has announced that financial support from a federal initiative that supports airline routes to rural airports are set to expire as early as this weekend due to the current federal funding lapse.
Federal transportation authorities indicated that financial assistance under the Essential Air Service program are likely to end as soon as Sunday after the agency moved separate financial resources from the Federal Aviation Administration as an temporary measure.
The department is currently notifying airline operators about the financial gap and informing communities about potential effects.
The government provides approximately $350m in yearly financial support for the program.
In recent months, the administration suggested reducing financial support by $308 million for the air service program, which enjoys popularity among GOP legislators because it offers connectivity to predominantly Republican rural regions.
Throughout the first presidency of Donald Trump, the administration suggested terminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but Congress chose to boost financial support instead.
This initiative typically subsidizes two return flights daily using medium-sized planes – or more frequent flights with smaller planes. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 communities in the northern state receive service and 112 communities across the remaining states and the territory that likely wouldn't have any commercial air connectivity.
“All states nationwide will feel the effects,” the transportation secretary stated during a media briefing, observing the service had bipartisan support. “We don't have the funding for that initiative moving forward.”
