US Says Funding for Air Service to Rural Areas to Expire as Early as This Weekend
The Trump administration has stated that funds from a US government program that subsidizes commercial air service to remote airfields are scheduled to end as soon as Sunday due to the ongoing government shutdown.
The US transportation department stated that financial assistance under the Essential Air Service initiative are likely to end as early as this weekend after the department moved 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 alerting local areas about potential effects.
Federal authorities allocates approximately $350m in yearly financial support for the program.
In recent months, the White House proposed cutting funding by $308m for the Essential Air Service, which has support among GOP legislators because it provides services to rural, largely Republican areas.
Throughout the first presidency of the former president, the administration suggested terminating the Essential Air Service program – but lawmakers opted to increase funding instead.
This initiative typically subsidizes two round trips 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 Alaska have air access and 112 locations across the other 49 states and Puerto Rico that likely wouldn't have any commercial air connectivity.
“Every state nationwide will feel the effects,” the transportation chief commented during a media briefing, observing the program had bipartisan support. “We lack the money for that initiative moving forward.”
