US Says Funding for Air Service to Rural Areas to End as Early as This Weekend
The Trump administration has stated that funds from a US government program that subsidizes airline routes to remote airfields are scheduled to end as soon as Sunday due to the current federal funding lapse.
The US transportation department stated that subsidies under the Essential Air Service initiative are likely to end as early as this weekend after the agency transferred unrelated funding from the Federal Aviation Administration as an advance.
The department is in the process of alerting carriers about the funding shortfall and alerting communities about possible impacts.
Federal authorities provides approximately $350m in yearly financial support for the program.
Earlier this year, the White House suggested reducing financial support by $308 million for the Essential Air Service, which enjoys popularity among GOP legislators because it provides services to rural, largely Republican areas.
Throughout the initial term of Donald Trump, the White House suggested terminating the Essential Air Service program – but lawmakers opted to increase financial support instead.
This initiative typically supports two round trips each day using medium-sized planes – or more frequent flights with smaller planes. According to the department that under the program, approximately 65 areas in the northern state receive service and 112 locations across the remaining states and the territory that likely wouldn't have any airline service.
“All states across the country will feel the effects,” the transportation secretary commented during a media briefing, observing the program had support from both parties. “We don't have the funding for that program moving forward.”
