Government Announces Subsidies for Air Service to Rural Areas to End as Soon as Sunday
The Trump administration has stated that funds from a US government program that supports airline routes to rural airports are scheduled to end as soon as Sunday due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Federal transportation authorities indicated that financial assistance under the Essential Air Service initiative are likely to end as soon as Sunday after the department transferred separate financial resources from the Federal Aviation Administration as an advance.
The department is in the process of alerting airline operators about the financial gap and informing local areas about possible impacts.
The government provides approximately $350 million in annual funding for the program.
Earlier this year, the White House suggested reducing funding by $308 million for the Essential Air Service, which enjoys popularity among GOP legislators because it offers connectivity to rural, largely Republican areas.
During the initial term of the former president, the administration proposed eliminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but lawmakers opted to increase financial support instead.
The program typically subsidizes two round trips daily using medium-sized planes – or more frequent flights with smaller planes. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 areas in Alaska receive service and 112 communities across the remaining states and the territory that likely wouldn't have any airline service.
“Every state nationwide will be impacted,” the transportation secretary commented during a media briefing, noting the service had support from both parties. “We don't have the funding for that initiative going forward.”
