Small airports across the country can withstand financial difficulty as they are ready to end on Sunday to help help subsidy.
The Transport Department (DOT) said on Monday that the Essential Air Service (EAS) program established in 1978, which serves the certified air carrier 177 small markets, will be finished due to the ongoing government shutdown next week.
The program helped subsidize two rounds a day with 50 seats from 30 seats for rural communities across the United States, which included some 40 airports in Alaska and midwestern and dozens of places in southern states.
“Every state across the country will be affected by Transport Secretary Sean Dafi on Monday during a press conference.” “We do not have money for that program.”
In May, President Trump proposed to fund some $ 308 million for the program, stating that “funnel taxpayers are easily upcoming distance from each other to subsidize half-to-half flights from airports to the Airlines.”
However, this program is generally popular with Republican as it serves many rural, GOP-shrill communities.
The government has about $ 350 million in the annual discretionary funding for the program. The EAS is mainly funded through a fee from foreign aerial carriers to fly through the US airspace, as well as excise duty from domestic passenger ticket sales. In 2024, 177 communities received $ 591.7 million in EAS subsidy as per DOT.
