Government Announces Subsidies for Air Service to Rural Areas to End as Soon as Sunday
Federal officials has stated that financial support from a US government program that supports commercial air service to rural airports are scheduled to end as soon as Sunday due to the current federal funding lapse.
The US transportation department indicated that financial assistance under the Essential Air Service program are likely to end as soon as Sunday after the department moved separate financial resources from the Federal Aviation Administration as an temporary measure.
Transportation officials is in the process of alerting airline operators about the funding shortfall and alerting local areas about possible impacts.
The government allocates approximately $350m in yearly financial support for the program.
In recent months, the administration proposed cutting financial support by $308 million for the Essential Air Service, which enjoys popularity among Republican lawmakers because it offers connectivity to predominantly Republican rural regions.
Throughout the first presidency of Donald Trump, the White House suggested terminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but Congress opted to increase financial support instead.
The program typically supports two return flights each day using medium-sized planes – or more frequent flights with smaller aircraft. According to the department that under the program, approximately 65 communities in Alaska receive service and 112 communities across the remaining states and the territory that likely wouldn't have any airline service.
“Every state across the country will be impacted,” the transportation chief commented during a press conference, noting the program had bipartisan support. “We don't have the money for that initiative moving forward.”
