Assistance Listing 20.901
Payments for Essential Air Services
TRANSPORTATION, DEPARTMENT OF · Office of the Secretary
Assistance Listing 20.901, “Payments for Essential Air Services,” is a federal program administered by TRANSPORTATION, DEPARTMENT OF. It provides direct payment for specified use assistance. GrantsJunction currently tracks 0 open, 0 forecasted and 0 closed opportunities under this listing. The agency reported $644M in obligations for fiscal year 2025.
Program objective
The program provides subsidies to air carriers to serve eligible communities as designated by Congress .
As published in the SAM.gov Assistance Listing.
Current opportunities under 20.901
No open or forecasted opportunities are currently posted under this listing. Programs often post notices on an annual cycle — see recently closed opportunities below for timing.
Eligible applicants (program level)
- Municipality or Township government (inclusive of cities, towns, boroughs (except in Alaska), and villages)
The list of eligible municipalities are established by statue and. An air carrier selected to serve these municipalities must be found fit and be selected by the Department to perform the subsidized service.
Program-level eligibility from SAM.gov. Each funding notice sets its own requirements.
Reported obligations by fiscal year
Historical data · not a predictionRange and average of financial assistance (from the listing): For continental United States: range from $996,968 to $10,874,142 annually; an average of $4,042,262 annually per community per year.
Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 20.901. Hatched bars are agency estimates. These totals do not indicate approval rates.Frequently asked questions
What is ALN 20.901?
20.901 is the Assistance Listing Number for “Payments for Essential Air Services.” Assistance Listing Numbers (formerly CFDA numbers) identify federal assistance programs; individual grant opportunities reference the listing they are funded under.
Who can apply under ALN 20.901?
The SAM.gov listing names these applicant types: Municipality or Township government (inclusive of cities, towns, boroughs (except in Alaska), and villages). Each funding notice under the program sets its own eligibility, so check the specific opportunity.
How much funding does 20.901 provide?
The agency reported $643,923,509 in obligations for FY2025 in the SAM.gov Assistance Listing. These are program-wide totals reported by the agency, not a prediction of future awards.