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Rural Air ServiceRural Air Service

Rural airports connect our communities to the nation's aviation and commerce system. Rural airports also encourage business investment and create opportunities for economic growth in the communities they serve.

Senator Nelson has been a strong advocate for rural airports and has worked to keep two key federal aviation programs, Essential Air Service and the Airport Improvement Program, working in Nebraska.

Essential Air Service

The Essential Air Service (EAS) program promotes accessibility and growth in rural communities. It maintains the availability of air service by providing a subsidy for air service at rural airports like those in Alliance, Chadron, Kearney, Grand Island, McCook, North Platte and Scottsbluff.

The two largest airports in Nebraska are separated by only 57 miles apart in a state that covers 77,000 square miles, thus leaving hundreds of thousands of Nebraskans hours away from these transportation hubs. Because of this, many Nebraskans rely on the Essential Air Service to keep their communities connected to the nation's transportation network while providing a critical resource for rural economic development.

Prices for air travel in smaller communities are higher than similar trips between hub airports. The EAS program keeps the cost of rural air service from becoming prohibitive to the consumer.

Each year since being elected to Congress, Senator Nelson has led efforts to maintain the availability of rural air service and worked to fully fund EAS to ensure no communities are cut from the program.

Senator Nelson has also supported funding of the Small Community Air Service Development Program, which is a competitive grant program aimed at funding community-driven initiatives to promote air service in rural areas of the country.

Airport Improvement Program

The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) provides approximately $1 million a year for critical runway and terminal enhancements and security improvements to rural airports with more than 10,000 departing passengers annually.

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and the resulting drop-off in air travel, three Nebraska airports dropped below 10,000 passengers. Senator Nelson's legislation to give these small airports an extra year to recover, the Small Airport Relief Act, was added to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill in June of 2003.

Senator Nelson will continue to be an advocate for these and other rural air service programs that will keep our small communities on the runway to prosperity, and keep "planes on the plains."

Useful Links

Department of Transportation - Essential Air Service page
Department of Transportation