US okays $27 mln loan guarantee for World Airways = = = = Wednesday April 23, 3:42 PM EDT = WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - The federal panel overseeing a program t= o ensure financing for U.S. airlines in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks = on Wednesday approved $27 million in loan guarantees for Georgia-based Wo= rld Airways Inc. (WLDAC) = The vote by the Air Transportation Stabilization Board was split, with re= presentatives of the Department of Transportation and the Federal Reserve= voting in favor of government backing. Peter Fisher, representing the Tr= easury Department, voted against. "Undersecretary (for Domestic Finance) Fisher felt the application did no= t meet the statutory requirement for approval," said Treasury spokeswoman= Betsy Holahan. According to a letter sent to World Airways CEO Hollis Harris, the ATSB m= ade its approval conditional on the Peachtree City, Georgia-based airline= making "certain structural and financial enhancements acceptable to the = Board," resolving issues involving collateral and giving the ATSB "additi= onal compensation." The letter did not specify the exact changes sought by the ATSB. The boar= d was created to help airlines find financing in the wake of the sharp dr= op-off in air travel immediately following Sept. 11. More recently, Presi= dent George W. Bush signed a spending bill to pay for the Iraq war that i= ncluded $3.5 billion in airline industry aid, as bookings suffered in con= nection with the short-lived Iraq war. = =A92003 Reuters Limited. = Roger EWROPS