Airports And Controllers Are On Guard

The FAA is reportedly considering shutting down 48 control towers during overnight hours as a way to cut the cost of labor.

The Washington Times reports the airports wouldn't be closed, but the towers would go dark -- a proposition that concerns more than a few airport officials and pilots.

"It's a safety issue. This is a list I don't want to be on," said Jacqueline executive director of Roanoke Regional Airport in Virginia.

The FAA isn't talking much about the proposal, except to say that the list of airports that might be affected will change. And we haven't yet found a way to get our hands on the list.

But the Times reports some cities on the list include Buffalo, NY; Des Moines, IA; and Boise, ID.

Why shut down overnight operations at all these towers? One word: Money. Specifically, the Times reports it intercepted an email being distributed around the FAA that said the nighttime closures were being contemplated "in order to try and offset some [of] the $100 million [operations] budget shortfall."

Toledo Express in Ohio is on the list as well. For now. Shutting down the tower after hours would be a big problem for one of the airport's newest tenants -- BAX Global Freight. In luring the company, Toledo city officials promised the tower would remain open 24/7. With that in mind, BAX Global now flies 18 sorties a night from Toledo Express.

Brian Schwartz, spokesman for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, which operates the airport, told the Washington Times, "A lot of cargo carriers want [a control tower manned at all times]. It's a liability issue. It's also a marketing issue. Losing 24-hour coverage would make it much harder to compete with airports that have one."

"I think it's a horrible precedent to set to sacrifice safety because they have not been able to anticipate their staffing needs," said Rick Atkinson, director of Yeager Airport in Charleston, WV. Yup, Yeager is on the list.

And, of course, you know the controllers' union, NATCA, is already gearing up for a fight on this issue. "Can a plane still use the airport [if a tower is unmanned]? Yes," said NATCA President John Carr. "But if an aircraft is in distress ... and there's nobody in the tower to help, you've reduced the margin of safety. This is a reckless policy decision being driven by finances," he said.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.natca.org