Government Announces Subsidies for Air Service to Rural Areas to Expire as Soon as Sunday
Federal officials has announced that funds from a US government program that supports airline routes to remote airfields are set to expire as soon as Sunday due to the ongoing government shutdown.
The US transportation department indicated that financial assistance under the Essential Air Service program are likely to end as soon as Sunday after the agency transferred unrelated funding from the FAA as an temporary measure.
The department is currently notifying airline operators about the financial gap and alerting local areas about possible impacts.
The government provides approximately $350m in annual funding for the program.
In recent months, the administration proposed cutting funding by $308 million for the Essential Air Service, which has support among GOP legislators because it provides services to predominantly Republican rural regions.
Throughout the first presidency of the former president, the White House suggested terminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but lawmakers opted to increase funding 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 areas in the northern state have air access and 112 locations across the other 49 states and Puerto Rico that otherwise might not receive any airline service.
“All states nationwide will feel the effects,” the transportation chief commented during a media briefing, observing the program had support from both parties. “We don't have the funding for that program moving forward.”
