Sequestration: 149 air traffic control towers are spared -- for now
The 149 air traffic control towers that were scheduled to close this summer because of federal sequestration will remain open until at least September, government officials said Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration said legislation approved by Congress last month allows the agency to transfer funds from other accounts to keep the towers open until the end of the fiscal year.
The towers, run by contract workers, operate at small airports such as Brown Field Municipal Airport in San Diego, Riverside Municipal Airport, Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, Oxnard Airport, Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville and Fullerton Municipal Airport.
The FAA had announced plans to close the towers in June to help cut more than $600 million from its annual budget, as required by sequestration.
The FAA announced earlier that the same legislation also freed up enough money to put an end to the furloughs of air traffic controllers, which led to airline flight delays at several major airports last month.
“This victory is thanks to a bipartisan coalition of senators and congressmen and women who came together to demonstrate that there are more responsible ways to cut spending than by compromising safety,” said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a critic of earlier plans to close the towers.
