The City of Las Cruces has announced that they will stop subsidizing air travel to Albuquerque from the Las Cruces airport.
The city says that due to budget constraints, grant funding ending and low passenger numbers, the subsidies for flights to Albuquerque will come to an end come July.
According to a press release, Advanced Air, the airline receiving the subsidies, has received over $600,000 from the city and $5 million from the state since the route opened in January of 2023.
Currently, the route costs Las Cruces $130,000 a month and averages six passengers per flight.
Flights have been reduced to two trips a week for the remainder of June. The city says that they will pursue Rural Air Service Enhancement grant funding to help bring the program back when funding is available.
The city says that they hope that flights will resume and if they do, they hope to add more destinations like Phoenix.
