A small Alabama airport and dozens of other airports serving nearly 200 rural communities around the country could lose federal support if the government shutdown extends past Oct. 12.

Without funding from the federal government, the Essential Air Program – which subsidizes smaller airports to provide air service to communities that wouldn’t otherwise have access – will run out of money, transportation officials warned this week.

The Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals is the state’s only airport that benefits from the Essential Air Program, according to the most recent data published by the Department of Transportation.

On Monday afternoon, Airport Director Barry Griffith received a notice from the Transportation Department about the potential lapse, which stated th

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