At the opposite end of the capacity debate, the FAA is pushing ahead with plans to close up to 48 towers for five to eight hours late at night and early in the morning when it says controllers have little or nothing to control. As AVweb told you in December, the agency wants to reallocate the resources to busier times (or busier towers). FAA spokesman William Shumann told The Washington Times the agency won’t reveal the final list until the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Transportation, the Treasury and independent agencies hold a hearing on its budget. But that’s not stopping airport managers from bending the ears of their senators and representatives trying to stay off the list. Virginia Republican Rep. Robert Goodlatte said it would be a “waste of money” to close Roanoke’s shiny new tower for part of the day. He said the FAA just spent $10 million on the 165-foot facility and to close the doors at night is “penny wise and pound foolish.”
…Night Tower-Closure Plan Proceeds
Key Takeaways:
- The FAA plans to close up to 48 air traffic control towers for 5-8 hours overnight, intending to reallocate resources to busier periods or towers.
- The proposal faces opposition from airport managers and politicians, who criticize it as "penny wise and pound foolish," especially for recently constructed facilities like Roanoke's $10 million tower.
- The agency will not release the final list of affected towers until after a House Appropriations Committee hearing on its budget.
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