US Says Funding for Rural Airline Service to End as Soon as Sunday
Federal officials has announced that funds from a federal initiative that subsidizes commercial air service to remote airfields are scheduled to end as early as this weekend because of the ongoing government shutdown.
Federal transportation authorities stated that financial assistance under the Essential Air Service program 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 currently notifying airline operators about the funding shortfall and alerting communities about potential effects.
Federal authorities allocates approximately $350 million in annual funding for the program.
In recent months, the White House suggested reducing financial support by $308 million for the Essential Air Service, which has support among Republican lawmakers because it offers connectivity to predominantly Republican rural regions.
Throughout the initial term of Donald Trump, the White House suggested terminating the Essential Air Service program – but lawmakers chose to boost financial support instead.
The program typically supports two round trips each day using medium-sized planes – or more frequent flights with smaller planes. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 communities in the northern state receive service and 112 communities across the remaining states and the territory that otherwise might not receive any commercial air connectivity.
“Every state across the country will feel the effects,” the transportation secretary stated during a press conference, noting the program had bipartisan support. “We don't have the funding for that initiative moving forward.”