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HomeNewsArchivesSt. Croix Air Services Get Boost from $150,000 Federal Grant

St. Croix Air Services Get Boost from $150,000 Federal Grant

Oct. 26, 2007 — A $150,000 federal transportation grant will go toward improving air service to and from St. Croix.
The grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small Community Air Service Development Program to the V.I. Port Authority (VIPA) will fund one component of the authority’s overall proposal, financing an air-service study and passenger survey. Through these studies, VIPA will develop solutions that will increase the availability of air services and reduce airfares in the St. Croix market, according to a VIPA news release.
VIPA leaders are thankful for the grant.
"We are very grateful to the Department of Transportation for approving our application," said VIPA Deputy Executive Director Kenn Hobson. "The affordability and availability of flights to and from St. Croix are critical to the economic development of the island and the territory as a whole. Air service directly impacts the tourism trade, as well as the commercial activities and daily lives of most residents. This grant will start us on a path to resolving these long-standing issues."
VIPA also thanked the St. Croix Hotel and Tourism Association and the V.I. Department of Tourism for their support of the grant application.
The Air Service Development grants are awarded on a competitive basis to communities coping with insufficient air-carrier service and/or high airfares because of geographic isolation or other factors, the release said. The program was created in 2002 by the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st century. The program awards less than $10 million annually, and the Port Authority was one of 26 grantees to receive a total of $8.98 million in this funding cycle. A total of 76 applications were submitted to the Department of Transportation this year, collectively seeking $35.8 million in funding.
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