🔗 Share this article Government Announces Subsidies for Air Service to Rural Areas to Expire as Early as This Weekend Federal officials has announced that funds from a federal initiative that supports commercial air service to remote airfields are set to expire as soon as Sunday due to the current federal funding lapse. 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 FAA as an temporary measure. The department is currently notifying airline operators about the funding shortfall and alerting communities 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 $308m for the Essential Air Service, which has support among Republican lawmakers because it provides services to rural, largely Republican areas. Throughout the first presidency of Donald Trump, the White House proposed eliminating the Essential Air Service program – but lawmakers chose to boost financial support instead. This initiative typically supports two round trips daily using 30- to 50-seat aircraft – or more frequent flights with smaller planes. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 areas in Alaska have air access and 112 communities across the remaining states and the territory that likely wouldn't have any airline service. “All states across the country will be impacted,” the transportation chief stated during a media briefing, noting the program had bipartisan support. “We don't have the funding for that initiative going forward.”