The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that it will award $11.99 million from the Small Community Air Service Development Program to help 14 communities in 14 states develop their own solutions to local air service needs. These federal grants assist small communities across the country with maintaining and building air service options.
“People in small communities across the country depend on local air service—as a resource in their lives and as a driver for growth in regional economies,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “With the funding we’re announcing today, the Department is strengthening local air service in 14 smaller communities and helping Americans across the country get to where they need to go more efficiently and affordably.”
Since the inception of the program, DOT has issued nearly 500 grants, helping communities develop projects tailored to their own air service needs. Grants are used to provide financial incentives to carriers, conduct studies on the possibilities of expanded service, and carry out marketing programs to promote existing local service, as well as address other challenges small communities and their airports may experience. The financial assistance helps communities establish first air services, restore lost service, and provides support to establish new routes to improve connectivity and allow people in the community to fly more easily and affordably.
The 14 communities receiving grant awards this year are:
| State | Community | Federal Funding |
| AK | Fairbanks | $900,000 |
| AL | Huntsville | $1,000,000 |
| AZ | Safford | $800,000 |
| CA | Chico | $1,000,000 |
| GA | Columbus | $220,000 |
| LA | Alexandria | $1,000,000 |
| MD | Salisbury | $800,000 |
| MI | Lansing | $1,000,000 |
| MO | Columbia | $1,000,000 |
| MT | Missoula | $875,000 |
| ND | Grand Forks | $1,000,000 |
| NV | Elko | $800,000 |
| OH | Toledo | $1,000,000 |
| OR | Medford | $600,000 |
| Total | $11,995,000 |
The Department received 40 applications from 25 states, requesting nearly $32 million.
The selected communities are contributing financial resources to supplement the federal support, reflecting a commitment that is important to the potential success of the proposed initiatives. Nearly all the communities have established robust public-private partnerships to enhance community participation and facilitate access to air services, provided a specific plan and timetable for using their grant funds in a timely manner, and many have provided letters of support from interested air carriers.
Complete community proposals and the Department’s final order are available at www.regulations.gov, docket DOT-OST-2024-0066.
