US Says Funding for Rural Airline Service to Expire as Early as This Weekend
Federal officials has announced that funds from a federal initiative that subsidizes commercial air service to rural airports are scheduled to end as early as this weekend because of the current federal funding lapse.
Federal transportation authorities stated that subsidies under the Essential Air Service initiative are expected to expire as soon as Sunday after the department transferred unrelated funding from the Federal Aviation Administration as an temporary measure.
Transportation officials is in the process of alerting carriers about the financial gap and alerting local areas about possible impacts.
The government allocates approximately $350m in annual funding for the program.
Earlier this year, the White House suggested reducing financial support by $308m for the Essential Air Service, which has support among Republican lawmakers because it provides services to predominantly Republican rural regions.
Throughout the first presidency of the former president, the White House proposed eliminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but lawmakers opted to increase funding instead.
The program typically subsidizes two return flights daily using 30- to 50-seat aircraft – or additional frequencies with smaller aircraft. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 communities in Alaska have air access and 112 communities across the other 49 states and the territory that likely wouldn't have any airline service.
“All states across the country will be impacted,” the transportation secretary stated during a press conference, observing the service had bipartisan support. “We lack the funding for that program moving forward.”
