Government Announces Subsidies for Rural Airline Service to Expire as Early as This Weekend
The Trump administration has stated that funds from a US government program that supports airline routes to remote airfields are scheduled to end as soon as Sunday due to the current federal funding lapse.
Federal transportation authorities stated that financial assistance under the Essential Air Service initiative are likely to end as early as this weekend after the department transferred unrelated funding from the Federal Aviation Administration as an temporary measure.
Transportation officials is currently notifying airline operators about the funding shortfall and informing local areas about potential effects.
Federal authorities allocates approximately $350 million in yearly financial support for the program.
In recent months, the administration suggested reducing financial support by $308m for the Essential Air Service, which has support among GOP legislators because it offers connectivity to predominantly Republican rural regions.
During the initial term of the former president, the administration suggested terminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but lawmakers opted to increase financial support instead.
The program typically supports two return flights daily using 30- to 50-seat aircraft – or additional frequencies with smaller aircraft. According to the department that under the program, approximately 65 areas in Alaska receive service and 112 communities across the remaining states and the territory that otherwise might not receive any airline service.
“Every state across the country will feel the effects,” the transportation chief commented during a media briefing, noting the service had bipartisan support. “We don't have the funding for that program moving forward.”