US Says Subsidies for Air Service to Rural Areas to Expire as Early as This Weekend
The Trump administration has announced that financial support from a US government program that supports commercial air service to remote airfields are scheduled to end as soon as Sunday due to the current federal funding lapse.
Federal transportation authorities stated that subsidies under the Essential Air Service initiative are likely to end as early as this weekend after the agency moved separate financial resources from the Federal Aviation Administration as an temporary measure.
Transportation officials is currently notifying carriers about the funding shortfall and informing local areas about potential effects.
Federal authorities provides approximately $350m in yearly financial support for the program.
In recent months, the White House suggested reducing financial support by $308 million for the air service program, which enjoys popularity among Republican lawmakers because it provides services to predominantly Republican rural regions.
Throughout the initial term of Donald Trump, the White House suggested terminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but lawmakers opted to increase financial support instead.
This initiative typically supports two return flights each day using medium-sized planes – or additional frequencies with smaller planes. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 communities in Alaska receive service and 112 communities across the remaining states and the territory that otherwise might not receive any airline service.
“Every state nationwide will be impacted,” the transportation chief commented during a media briefing, observing the service had bipartisan support. “We don't have the money for that initiative moving forward.”
