Local leaders more confident about Essential Air Service funding for Mason City airport in future
MASON CITY — Local leaders who went on a lobbying trip to Washington DC last week say they feel more confident about funding for a program that helps keep commercial service intact at the Mason City Municipal Airport and other smaller communities around the country. The Trump administration is setting its sights on a $308 million cut to the Essential Air Service program as part of its 2026 budget proposal.
Mayor Bill Schickel says after telling the city’s story both to the aviation division of the Federal Department of Transportation as well as to north-central Iowa’s congressional delegation, local leaders felt a lot better. “I felt much better afterwards. They support Essential Air Service, and it would take Congress going along with this particular recommendation in order to implement that. I feel very good that we were able to really communicate our story well there.”
Schickel says commercial service to the Mason City Municipal Airport is a key to economic development in the region. “Right now, there are record numbers of people flying in and out of the Mason City Municipal Airport, and a lot of it is business transportation. That direct flight to Chicago has been a great thing, especially since the new terminal out there. That’s been a real selling point for economic development, for business travelers and for other travelers. We just made the point of how crucial and critical that is, and really they understand how critical it is.”
The budget request states that spending on EAS subsidies is “out of control” and they propose a mix of reforms to help rural communities’ air transportation needs in a more sustainable manner.
