Government Announces Subsidies for Air Service to Rural Areas to Expire as Soon as Sunday
The Trump administration has stated 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 current federal funding lapse.
Federal transportation authorities stated that subsidies under the Essential Air Service initiative are expected to expire as early as this weekend after the agency moved 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 communities about potential effects.
The government provides approximately $350 million in yearly financial support for the program.
In recent months, the White House proposed cutting funding by $308m for the Essential Air Service, which enjoys popularity among GOP legislators because it offers connectivity to predominantly Republican rural regions.
During the first presidency of Donald Trump, the administration proposed eliminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but lawmakers opted to increase financial support instead.
The program typically supports two round trips each day using 30- to 50-seat aircraft – or more frequent flights with smaller planes. According to the department that under the program, approximately 65 communities in the northern state receive service and 112 locations across the remaining states and Puerto Rico that likely wouldn't have any airline service.
“All states across the country will be impacted,” the transportation secretary commented during a press conference, noting the service had support from both parties. “We lack the funding for that initiative moving forward.”
