Nearly Half Could Be On The Chopping Block If Proposal Adopted

While it's far from a done deal, the White House OMB is reportedly considering closing nearly half of the non-federal control towers in operation in the U.S. A report on the AOPA website indicates that most of the towers affected would be those at GA airports.

Funding for the contract towers would be preserved for airports which have scheduled airline service, or over 10,000 military operations each year.

The move is said to be a response to the inability of the so-called "Super Committee" to reach an agreement on budget cuts. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-FL) has written a letter to the OMB telling the office that the contract towers make "good budgetary sense." He said cuts should focus on "ineffective programs," and that the contract control towers did not fall into that category. The American Association of Airport Executives said the cuts could be "disastrous."

AOPA says is was drafting a letter to the House and Senate GA Caucuses urging them to oppose the move to shut down the contract towers.

FMI: www.whitehouse.gov/omb