FAA Delays Closing 149 Airport Control Towers Until June 15th-UPDATE
The FAA will delay 149 airport tower closings until June 15th
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said today (Friday) it will delay the closures of 149 federal-contract air traffic control towers until June 15.
Last month, the FAA announced it would eliminate funding for these regional airport towers to help it meet $637 million in forced spending cuts.
The tower closures had been scheduled to begin April 7, phased in over four weeks. The towers are low- or moderate-volume facilities staffed by contractors.
There is hope in the industry that government budget sequester can be resolved by June and avoid the closures altogether.
This story will be updated if there is more information.
UPDATE:
Press Release from the FAA:
The U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that it will delay the closures of all 149 federal contract air traffic control towers until June 15. Last month, the FAA announced it would eliminate funding for these towers as part of the agencys required $637 million budget cuts under sequestration.
This additional time will allow the agency to attempt to resolve multiple legal challenges to the closure decisions. As part of the tower closure implementation process, the agency continues to consult with airports and operators and review appropriate risk mitigations. Extending the transition deadline will give the FAA and airports more time to execute the changes to the National Airspace System.
This has been a complex process and we need to get this right, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Safety is our top priority. We will use this additional time to make sure communities and pilots understand the changes at their local airports.
As of today, approximately 50 airport authorities and other stakeholders have indicated they may join the FAAs non-Federal Contract Tower program and fund the tower operations themselves. This additional time will allow the FAA to help facilitate that transition.
We will continue our outreach to the user community to answer any questions and address their concerns about these tower closures, said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.
On March 22, the FAA announced that it would stop federal funding for 149 contract towers across the country. A phased, four-week closure process was scheduled to begin this Sunday, April 7. That phased closure process will no longer occur. Instead, the FAA will stop funding all 149 towers on June 15 and will close the facilities unless the airports decide to continue operations as a nonfederal contract tower.