Government Announces Funding for Rural Airline Service to End as Early as This Weekend
The Trump administration has announced that funds from a US government program that supports commercial air service to rural airports are scheduled to end as soon as Sunday due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Federal transportation authorities stated that subsidies under the Essential Air Service initiative are likely to end as soon as Sunday after the agency moved separate financial resources from the Federal Aviation Administration as an advance.
Transportation officials is in the process of alerting carriers about the financial gap and alerting local areas about potential effects.
The government provides approximately $350m in yearly financial support 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 rural, largely Republican areas.
Throughout the initial term of the former president, the administration proposed eliminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but Congress opted to increase financial support instead.
This initiative 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 the northern state have air access and 112 locations across the remaining states and the territory that otherwise might not receive any commercial air connectivity.
“All states nationwide will be impacted,” the transportation chief commented during a press conference, noting the service had bipartisan support. “We don't have the funding for that program moving forward.”
