The DuBois Regional Airport is still waiting for federal decisions on the future of its commercial flights.

We spoke to the airport manager and have an update.

The manager says he’s not sure how long it will take to get a response.

On May 20, the federal Department of Transportation issued an order tentatively terminating Essential Air Service subsidies to 30 airports including DuBois, Altoona, and Johnstown.

It gave 20 days to submit any objections, which DuBois airport manager Bob Shaffer says was done at his airport a couple weeks ago.

The current contract with Silver Airways runs out at the end of September.

The airport authority is recommending a more expensive proposal from Southern Airways Express that would offer more flights to Baltimore and Pittsburgh, instead of through Johnstown to Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C.

The proposal includes $25 flights to Pittsburgh.

Currently, DOT officials say they don’t like how it costs them more than $300 for each passenger flying out of this airport, and they want it to be under a $200 cap.

Shaffer says he’s hopeful the DOT will re-consider, as it did in a first round of attempted closures in 2014 involving different airports. Since this is his first time going through this process, he’s not sure what to expect.

“All that was required was that we were asked if we would be seeking a variance, and in fact we did,” says Shaffer. “So, once that variance was requested, now the DOT needs to give us the data that they will require to make a decision on that variance. We have not received any of that information yet.”

As to any new airline. It would start on Oct. 1. Shaffer says comments for that proposal are due by June 20 and then the DOT will need to decide on both issues.

The DOT said the original order is posted at: https://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOT-OST-2002-11446-0148