DENVER — A key lifeline for rural communities may soon be cut.
Small commercial airports in Colorado and nationwide may see flight cancellations if the government shutdown continues.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that funding for the Essential Air Service (EAS) would lapse Sunday if the government doesn't reopen by then. EAS provides federal subsidies to commercial airlines to serve small, rural airports that would not otherwise have commercial air service. This includes the airports in Cortez, Pueblo, and Alamosa in Colorado, as well as 174 other communities nationwide.
"Air carriers that continue to operate EAS flights beyond October 12, 2025, would do so at their own risk, as the Department may not be able to pay the contracted subsidy," the Department of Transportation (DOT) said in a notice.
The notice also said that if carriers continue to operate during the funding lapse, they could be reimbursed on a "pro rata basis," meaning they might not receive the full amount owed.
Denver7 anchor Shannon Ogden spoke with aviation expert Steve Cowell about the fallout from EAS funding shutting off, even temporarily. Cowell said the result will be real hardship.
"The practical result is the income of all the people who live in Cortez, Colorado, and other cities in Colorado, throughout Nebraska. They're going to be faced with having the long drive to a much bigger airport. So that means not only will they undergo the long drive, they're probably going to have to rent a hotel room before and after the trip because the drive is just going to be so long," said Cowell.
Cowell said the hardship would be more than an inconvenience; it could be the loss of jobs.
"What's going to end up happening is people aren't going to travel, and it's going to be a significant loss of money for airlines, airports. The people working at airports are going to be laid off. There's a whole snowball effect that's going to take place with a lack of this EAS funding," added Cowell.
