Temporary Air Service Interruptions.

Sec. 322. Temporary Air Service Interruptions. (a) Availability of Funds.—Funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act to carry out section 47114(c)(1) of title 49, United States Code, may be available for apportionment to an airport sponsor described in subsection (b) in fiscal year 2000 in an amount equal to the amount apportioned to that sponsor in fiscal year 1999.113 STAT. 1020 (b) Covered Airport Sponsors.—An airport sponsor referred to in subsection (a) is an airport sponsor with respect to whose primary airport the Secretary of Transportation found that— (1) passenger boardings at the airport fell below 10,000 in the calendar year used to calculate the apportionment; (2) the airport had at least 10,000 passenger boardings in the calendar year prior to the calendar year used to calculate apportionments to airport sponsors in a fiscal year; and (3) the cause of the shortfall in passenger boardings was a temporary but significant interruption in service by an air carrier to that airport due to an employment action, natural disaster, or other event unrelated to the demand for air transportation at the affected airport.