Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff The airline serving Del Norte and Curry counties says it will continue to operate for as long as it can beyond Nov. 2 even if funding for the Essential Air Service program isn’t renewed. The federal subsidy the community relies on for commercial air service would have been suspended earlier this month if the U.S. Department of Transportation hadn’t secured funding to keep it going through Nov. 2. However, with that deadline a little more than a week away, Sean Rosenthal, director of the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority, said he’s yet to receive an update on the program’s status. “We spoke with Advanced Air and let them know we couldn’t pay them — that we don’t have the funds to pay them past that date and asked what their intentions were,” Rosenthal told Redwood Voice Community News on Friday. “They intend to keep flying, but they can’t make a promise for how long or anything like that.” Rosenthal attended Monday’s Crescent City Council meeting to apprise them of airport’s improvement projects as well as how it’s weathering the government shutdown. He said when he received the initial notice that EAS funding may run out on Oct. 13, there was a bit of panic. Not only did DOT say that EAS-subsidized airports would continue operating commercial air service at their own risk beyond that date, the notice also implied that future EAS funding was in jeopardy, Rosenthal said.. “Two days later they sent out another notice saying we’re funded till Nov. 2,” he told councilors. “They removed the concerning language of risk and just said they’ll keep us updated. That’s where we’re at.” On Tuesday, Barbara Hunt, Advanced Air’s vice president of business told Redwood Voice that the airline expects to receive additional guidance from the DOT by Nov. 2. The Hawthorne-based airline has been providing flights between Crescent City and Oakland and Crescent City and Southern California since March 2024. “Advanced Air cares deeply about the communities we serve, including Crescent City,” Hunt said via email on Tuesday. “These flights are more than just transportation — they’re a vital connection for residents, businesses and visitors alike. We plan to continue operating beyond November 2 for as long as we can in the hope that the government shutdown will be resolved and funding restored.” The Essential Air Service program serves 175 communities nationwide with the Alternative Essential Air Service offering more flexibility. According to Rosenthal, the program provides the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority with about $400,000 a month for commercial air service. On Friday, Rosenthal said the EAS service pays for every seat on the plane flying into and out of Crescent City. He said the federal government created the program realizing that it wouldn’t be financially viable for commercial airlines to serve rural communities like Del Norte and Curry counties. Meanwhile, ten agents with the Transportation Security Administration continue working at the Del Norte County Airport despite the shutdown, Rosenthal said. “TSA is not being paid. That has impacted other airports because if TSA’s not there, then they can’t fly,” he said. “Our TSA has been showing up and has been great. They still have great attitudes.” During his presentation to the City Council, Rosenthal thanked them for contributing $77,000 toward the authority’s match for a $7.26 million Airport Improvement Grant to redo one of the runways. This project was necessary after a 2023 pavement maintenance and management plan indicated that there was alligator cracking along the center of the runway, “which is where airplanes land,” Rosenthal said. When the project was finished, a large section sank about 4 inches due to erosion, Rosenthal said. That section was 150 feet by 30 feet, he said. “That section became a reconstruction,” Rosenthal said. “They used an eco-grid mesh to reinforce it and build it up, I”m told, by about a foot.” The runway’s halogen lights were replaced with LED lights, cutting down energy costs by 75%, Rosenthal told councilors. The airport’s service roads were also reconstructed using millings from the old runway. Federal allocation dollars also paid for the purchase of an airport rescue firefighter truck and a new fence along the airport property that fronts the beach, Rosenthal said. “There were elk on the airport last winter,” he said. “The fence collapsed. It’s about a 12-foot fence. I don’t think I need to tell anyone what salt air does to, really, anything, but those metal chain link fences are like dust and they’re not that old.” The Border Coast Regional Airport Authority is also gearing up for a reconstruction of its other runway, Runway 12-30. Environmental surveys and geotechnical studies on that project will begin this year.