U.S. Department of Transportation Extends Notice Regarding Essential Air Service Program
Today, the Department is issuing a notice in the Essential Air Service Program addressing the ongoing impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency on all communities receiving subsidized service. A previous notice, issued on April 29, 2020, outlined conditions under which air carriers providing EAS may receive compensation for certain non-completed flights as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency. That notice was effective through June 30, 2020, and was extended once before, through September 30, 2020. Today’s notice merely extends the effective date of the policy through December 31, 2020. The Department observes that carriers participating in the EAS program continue to encounter record-low demand. Therefore, the Department is acting now to extend the effective period of the Notice through December 31, 2020.