The Regional Airline Association and other aviation groups have written
two letters to lawmakers in support of the Essential Air Service
Program, which may be eliminated as reauthorization bills move through
Congress.
RAA says the letter also has been signed by Airports
Council-International, American Association of Airport Executives and
the National Association of State Aviation Officials Center for Aviation
Research and Education.
The program was formed when the airline industry was deregulated in
1978. The EAS program guarantees scheduled air service to communities
that otherwise would have lost access under a deregulated airline
industry. It was initially funded for 10 years by the general fund of
the U.S. Treasury. The Airport and Airway Safety and Capacity Expansion
Act of 1987 extended it, and it was later made permanent as part of the
Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 1996 with a
standing annual appropriation of $50M. Over time, the program has gone
through changes, and currently, communities that are within 70 driving
miles of an FAA-designated large or medium hub airport, or whose per
passenger subsidies exceed $200, are no long eligible. Communities that
are 210 or more miles from the nearest medium or large hub airport are
exempt from the subsidy cap.
To read the letter to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, visit www.raa.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=E9ZuMGZ8V2U%3d&tabid=176&mid=646.
To read the letter to the Senate, visit: http://www.raa.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=tVvVvh%2fq3ks%3d&tabid=176&mid=646.
