Government Announces Subsidies for Rural Airline Service to Expire as Soon as Sunday
Federal officials has stated that funds from a federal initiative that subsidizes airline routes to remote airfields are set to expire as soon as Sunday because of the ongoing government shutdown.
The US transportation department indicated that subsidies under the Essential Air Service program are likely to end as early as this weekend after the department transferred separate financial resources from the FAA as an advance.
The department is in the process of alerting airline operators about the financial gap and alerting local areas about possible impacts.
Federal authorities provides approximately $350m in yearly financial support for the program.
In recent months, the administration proposed cutting funding by $308 million for the air service program, which enjoys popularity among Republican lawmakers because it offers connectivity to rural, largely Republican areas.
Throughout the initial term of the former president, the White House suggested terminating the Essential Air Service program – but Congress chose to boost financial support instead.
This initiative typically supports two return flights each day using medium-sized planes – or additional frequencies with smaller aircraft. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 areas in Alaska receive service and 112 communities across the other 49 states and Puerto Rico that otherwise might not receive any commercial air connectivity.
“Every state across the country will feel the effects,” the transportation secretary stated during a media briefing, observing the program had bipartisan support. “We lack the funding for that initiative moving forward.”
