Thumbnail image courtesy of Border Coast Regional Airport Authority A day after finding out that commercial air service to Del Norte County may be a casualty of the federal government shutdown, Sean Rosenthal says he’s still searching for answers. Less than two months after the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority hired him as airport director, Rosenthal said the U.S. Department of Transportation notified him on Monday that if the government shutdown continues, Alternative Essential Air Service funding will end Sunday. In an email to BCRAA members Tuesday morning, he said he had hoped to have some information to share, but he’s still working to “fully understand the impact this situation will have on us.” “Right now what we’re doing is we’re communicating with our airline,” Rosenthal told Redwood Voice Community News, referring to Advanced Air, which has offered service from Crescent City to Oakland as well as Southern California since March 2024. “We contacted our DOT representative Mark Raggio, who’s in Washington, but we haven’t gotten through. We don’t know if that’s due to call volume or if he’s been furloughed. And we had contacted our aviation consultant who handles our contracts with the airline.” Representatives with Volaire Aviation, the BCRAA’s aviation consultant, did respond, Rosenthal said, but were traveling. “We are going to be circling back with them in the morning,” he said. According to the U.S. DOT notice, if a “prolonged government-wide lapse in appropriations” last longer than Sunday, the DOT will relieve air carriers of their obligations under Essential Air Service contracts and will suspend reimbursement of AEAS grants starting Oct. 13 “until such time as appropriated funding is restored and full budgetary authority is reinstated.” Lapse in Funding Notice FINALDownload On Tuesday, Rosenthal said whether or not Advanced Air will honor tickets purchased for flights after Sunday is still being discussed. He said the airline is willing to continue services but the terms haven’t been discussed as far as how those services would be paid for if that payment doesn’t come from the Airport Authority. Rosenthal said he hoped to get more clarity on that question when he speaks with Volaire representatives on Wednesday. The loss of the Essential Air Service program could interrupt air service in 175 communities across the country, the New York Times’ Karoun Demirjian reported on Monday. Quoting U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the Times reported that the potential loss of EAS funding could be the first aviation-related effect passengers feel as a result of the shutdown that began on Oct. 1. “There’s many small communities across the country that will now no longer have the resources to make sure they have air service in their communities,” Duffy said. According to Rosenthal, the Alternative Essential Air Service — a more flexible version of the EAS program — provides the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority with about $400,000 a month. Advanced Air bills the BCRAA, the Airport Authority pays the airline and is reimbursed when it shows proof of payment to the DOT. “They have 30 days to pay us,” Rosenthal said. “Sometimes it takes longer. In fact, we haven’t been paid for August yet, so we’re at (their) mercy. And, of course, they’ve also had to shut down as well.” The federal government shutdown comes after the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors agreed to extend a line of credit to the BCRAA to help it meet its financial obligations while waiting for federal grant reimbursement. Those reimbursements are tied to the rehabilitation of the airports’ runways as well as a project to install wildlife fencing around the property. A third project is the purchase of an airport rescue firefighting truck. According to a Sept. 23 county staff report, federal Airport Improvement Program grant dollars will pay for 95% of those projects with the BCRAA responsible for the other 5%. While he voted in favor of extending the line of credit, District 4 Supervisor Joey Borges questioned whether the joint powers authority model is the most sufficient for running the airport. He said in August that the county is the only local agency that annually contributes funding to keep the airport going. In addition to Del Norte County, BCRAA members include Crescent City, Brookings, Curry County, the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation and Elk Valley Rancheria. On Tuesday, Rosenthal said he’s also reached out to other airports that rely on the EAS program to offer commercial service as well as Del Norte County’s state representatives “to see if there’s anything they could or would do.” Rosenthal said he’s also reached out to the Airport Authority’s legal counsel Bob Black, sending him the US DOT’s notice so he could “digest it.” “We’re hoping to try to get some idea of what our options are because we don’t know,” Rosenthal said. “No one wants to do anything irresponsible like promising payments that we don’t have.”