US Says Funding for Air Service to Rural Areas to Expire as Soon as Sunday
Federal officials has announced that financial support from a federal initiative that subsidizes commercial air service to rural airports are set to expire as early as this weekend because of the ongoing government shutdown.
Federal transportation authorities indicated that financial assistance under the Essential Air Service initiative are expected to expire as early as this weekend after the department transferred unrelated funding from the Federal Aviation Administration as an temporary measure.
The department is in the process of alerting airline operators about the financial gap and informing local areas about possible impacts.
Federal authorities provides approximately $350 million in annual funding for the program.
Earlier this year, the White House proposed cutting financial support by $308m for the Essential Air Service, which has support among GOP legislators because it provides services to predominantly Republican rural regions.
During the first presidency of Donald Trump, the administration suggested terminating the Essential Air Service program – but Congress opted to increase financial support instead.
The program typically subsidizes two return flights daily using medium-sized planes – or additional frequencies with smaller aircraft. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 communities in the northern state have air access and 112 communities across the other 49 states and the territory that otherwise might not receive any commercial air connectivity.
“Every state nationwide will be impacted,” the transportation chief commented during a press conference, noting the service had support from both parties. “We lack the funding for that program going forward.”
