U.S. Transportation secretary Foxx announces $5.5m in grants

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced that the Department of Transportation would provide $5.5 million to help 11 small communities in 11 states develop solutions to improve their local air service needs under the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP).

“Local air service is vital for connecting our smaller communities to the national aviation system,” said Secretary Foxx. “These grants will help communities across the country attract better air service and provide more travel options for their residents.”

The program began in 2002 to help small communities address the challenges of local air service, including high fares, insufficient service, and lack of competition. Since then, the awards have helped nearly 400 communities develop projects tailored to local air service needs, such as providing financial incentives to make new routes to small communities more economically attractive, conducting studies on the possibilities of improving service, and carrying out marketing programs to promote local service.

The communities that have been selected are contributing over $4.6 million in local financial resources to complement the federal support. Many communities have also pledged in-kind contributions to support these air service initiatives, reflecting a level of community commitment that is critical to the success and sustainability of the proposed initiatives. The communities have established extensive public-private partnerships to expand community participation in developing access to air services. Many provide letters of support from the community and interested air carriers, and they have all provided specific plans for using their grant funds in a timely manner.