Agenda Item Wording:
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U.S. Department of Transportation Essential Air Service program - An informational overview and summary of the Essential Air Service program eligible to return to Visalia Municipal Airport in the 2027 calendar year.
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Agenda Date: 09/21/2026
Prepared by:
Jody Miller, Airport Manager, Jody.Miller@visalia.gov, (559)713-4282
John Lollis, Assistant City Manager, John.Lollis@visaia.gov, (559)713-4323
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive the informational overview and summary of the Essential Air Service (EAS) program and select two (2) Members of Council to serve on an Ad Hoc Committee to coordinate with City staff and local business partners in community outreach and the review of potential certified air carriers for recommendation to the Council. The Council has the opportunity to recommend a preferred operator to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) but the agency makes the final decision.
Summary:
Visalia Municipal Airport will become eligible again for regular EAS service beginning May 1, 2027. In 2016, facing significant issues with air carrier reliability and the need for hangar expansion at the Airport, the City opted to apply and was selected by the USDOT for the Community Flexibility Pilot Program, through which the City received $3.7 million in federal grant funds (equivalent to 2 years of passenger subsidies) for hangar development in exchange for not hosting EAS service and air carrier subsidies for ten (10) years. Up to ten (10) EAS airports were eligible to apply for the Pilot Program, however, Visalia was the only applicant and the Pilot Program was not reauthorized due to lack of interest and is no longer available.
The USDOT is expected to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) in the October 2026 timeframe as a competitive bidding process to all certified air carriers in submitting service destinations and subsidy proposals, with levels of service to include frequency, aircraft size and airport hubs. The RFP timeframe is typically thirty (30) days for carrier “best and final” proposals, which the USDOT then provides the City and local community thirty (30) days to review the bids, host public meetings, and submit an official letter of recommendation. The USDOT will make the final determination using five (5) factors: 1) the demonstrated reliability of the applicant in providing scheduled air service; 2) the contractual, marketing, code-share, or interline arrangements the applicant has made with a larger air carrier serving the hub airport; 3) the preferences of the actual and potential users of air transportation at the eligible place, including the views of the elected officials representing the users; 4) whether the air carrier has included a plan in its proposal to market its services to the community; and 5) the total compensation proposed by the air carrier for providing scheduled air service under this section. The entire RFP process from issuance to determination is typically up to four (4) months, resulting in either a two (2) or four (4) year federal contract between the USDOT and the selected air carrier, with air carrier service to be initiated potentially as soon as May 1, 2027.
Background Discussion:
The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 removed federal control over such areas as fares, routes, and market entry of new airlines. The Essential Air Service (EAS) program was established by Congress to guarantee that communities that were previously served by certified air carriers prior to the passage of the Airline Deregulation Act maintained a minimum level of air service. The USDOT is mandated by Congress to provide eligible EAS communities with access to the National Air Transportation System. This generally includes subsidies (when necessary) and two (2) round trips a day, six (6) days per week to a large- or medium-hub airport.
Continued federal transportation funding for EAS has often been an item of debate amongst the Administration and Congress, although strong bipartisan support has remained for the program. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, EAS was funded at $350 million, in FY 2025 was $450 million, and the current FY 2026 is $513 million. The FY 2027 appropriation proposed by the House of Representatives is $538 million, although the Administration has proposed a reduction to $316 million, which a FY 2027 federal budget is not anticipated to be enacted until likely December 2026.
To address federal budgetary concerns, Congress has enacted maximum subsidy and minimum enplanement requirements for communities to remain eligible for EAS. In the 2024 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization, Congress mandated the maximum per passenger subsidy of $650 for communities less than 175 miles from the nearest large or medium hub airport. Hollywood Burbank Airport is the nearest medium hub airport to Visalia at a driving miles distance of 178 miles, so the maximum subsidy of $650 per passenger does not apply. No community, regardless of distance to a hub, can exceed $850 per passenger. Congress also mandates a minimum average of ten (10) enplanements per service day unless a community is more than 175 driving miles from the nearest large or medium hub airport and thus exempt from this requirement. Given the driving distance is 178 miles to Hollywood Burbank Airport, Visalia is exempt from the minimum enplanement requirement but the air carrier is strongly encouraged to meet this requirement. All of the above requirements have been waived, annually, by Congress since 2020, however, they could be reintroduced at any time. The USDOT can also require a local cost share if the community is less than forty (40) driving miles from the nearest small hub airport, which Fresno Yosemite International Airport is more than forty (40) miles and thus Visalia is exempt from the local cost share requirement. Please see the attached current schedule of subsidies at each of the EAS airports.
There are currently 182 eligible EAS airports nationwide, including 71 airports in Alaska, and the remaining 111 in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the contiguous lower forty-eight (48) states. There are four (4) eligible airports in California, including: Visalia, Crescent City (Del Norte County Regional Airport), El Centro (Imperial County Airport), and Merced (Merced Yosemite Regional Airport). The current EAS providers at the three (3) other California airports are: 1) Crescent City - Advanced Air; 2) El Centro - Southern Airways (Surf Air); and 3) Merced - Contour Airlines. The USDOT is considering a change in carrier at El Centro to the County-recommended Advanced Air, and the USDOT recently changed carriers in Merced from Advanced Air to Contour Airlines.
All airports with regularly scheduled passenger service using planes with more than nine (9) seats must follow 14 CFR Part 139 which is a FAA regulation that sets safety and operational rules for commercial airports. The regulations cover emergency services, field markings, and daily safety checks, the only exceptions being for military or General Aviation (GA) airports. In the ten (10) years without commercial EAS service at the Airport and operating instead as a General Aviation (GA) airport, staff have continued to maintain the facilities and operated the airfield following all Part 139 regulations for certification and operation of a commercial airport, the only missing elements currently preventing Part 139 official recertification by the FAA being emergency response apparatus and equipment, as well as the training of Airport and Fire personnel.
The most significant fiscal component of emergency response is the required Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) trucks, which are specialized, high-capacity emergency response vehicles designed specifically for airport runways and aviation incidents. ARFF’s carry significant amounts of water, foam, and dry chemicals to suppress volatile jet fuel fires and allow rapid passenger evacuation. When Visalia was previously an EAS airport, two (2) Class 4 ARFF’s were in operation, which these vehicles generally cost between $100,00 and $500,000 used and $1 to $1.5 million new. However, Part 139 at Visalia Airport would only require Class 1 apparatus which is much smaller and less expensive, although Part 139 does require two (2) apparatus given the requirement for immediate replacement if the primary apparatus is out of service. All of the air carriers expected to submit proposals to the USDOT’s RFP to provide EAS service use aircraft that meet the requirements to have EAS operations at Visalia Airport under GA rules that are currently followed and the Part 139 requirements would not be applicable. However, the Fire Department and Airport staff are in agreement that to provide the safest operations possible for the community that obtaining all Part 139 emergency response equipment and training would be recommended, as is currently the practice at the other three (3) EAS airports in California and was the practice in Visalia when EAS was previously provided.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and individual airports regulate the “sterile” or “non-sterile” passenger and bag security requirements at EAS airports. If an EAS air carrier deplanes directly into a hub airport’s sterile gate, then the originating EAS airport must have TSA sterile passenger and bag screening. Also, an airport can mandate TSA sterile passenger and bag screening from the EAS airport (e.g. San Francisco International Airport). If an EAS air carrier deplanes outside the security perimeter at the hub airport, then TSA sterile screening will be required to reach connecting flights and TSA screening is not required at the originating EAS airport. Under previous EAS service, Visalia Airport provided sterile security screening at the terminal, which can be reestablished fairly quickly if required by the selected air carrier and/or hub airport.
Fiscal impact including annual maintenance and operating costs:
Should FAA Part 139 emergency fire response be implemented in support of EAS service at the Airport, then at a minimum two (2) Class 1 AARF trucks (used) and required equipment would need to be purchased. The City could pursue a federal Community Project Funding request from Congressman Costa and/or Fong for the necessary vehicles and equipment to meet Part 139 requirements, beginning operations without that designation. Airport personnel would also need to receive the required forty (40) hours of AARF training, given at least one (1) AARF-trained individual must be available during air carrier operations. Opportunities for regional collaboration (e.g. Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Naval Air Station, Lemoore, etc.) could be pursued, as well as the hire and training of additional part-time Airport personnel.
There are also financial benefits from the reestablishment of EAS service at the Airport, including increased fuel sales, landing fees, and increased Airport Improvement Program (AIP) project funding.
Prior Council Action:
March 7, 2016: Discussion of regional air service industry, review of EAS air carrier
proposals received, and submission of $3.7 million application for grant funding as
part of the Community Flexibility Pilot Program.
Alternatives:
City Council could elect not to select Members of Council to serve on an Ad Hoc Committee.
Recommended Motion (and alternative motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to select Council Members (Name) and (Name) to serve on the EAS Ad Hoc Committee to coordinate with City staff on community outreach and the review of potential certified air carriers.
Environmental Assessment Status: N/A
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Review: N/A
Deadline for Action: N/A
Attachments:
1. City Council Meeting Presentation
2. Eligible Essential Air Service Communities - December 2021
3. Subsidized Essential Air Service Communities - May 2026
4. Total Passenger Enplanements, Visalia: 2000-2019
5. City Council Agenda Report: March 7, 2016
Strategic Goal: Indicates which City Strategic Goal(s) this item supports. Select all that apply.
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