🔗 Share this article Government Announces Subsidies for Air Service to Rural Areas to Expire as Soon as Sunday Federal officials has stated that funds from a US government program that supports airline routes to rural airports are set to expire as early as this weekend because of the ongoing government shutdown. The US transportation department stated that subsidies under the Essential Air Service program are expected to expire as early as this weekend after the agency transferred separate financial resources from the Federal Aviation Administration as an temporary measure. The department is currently notifying carriers about the financial gap and alerting local areas about potential effects. The government allocates approximately $350 million in annual funding for the program. In recent months, the administration proposed cutting funding by $308 million for the Essential Air Service, which has support among Republican lawmakers because it provides services to rural, largely Republican areas. Throughout the initial term of Donald Trump, the White House proposed eliminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but Congress opted to increase funding instead. The program typically supports two return flights daily using medium-sized planes – or additional frequencies with smaller planes. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 communities in Alaska have air access and 112 locations across the remaining states and Puerto Rico that otherwise might not receive any commercial air connectivity. “All states nationwide will be impacted,” the transportation secretary commented during a media briefing, noting the program had support from both parties. “We don't have the money for that program moving forward.”