Alexandria, VA, May 10, 2013 – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it will keep open the 149 contract towers the agency slated for closure on June 15th.
As a result of a budget impasse between Congress and the Obama
Administration, an automatic spending cut mechanism called “sequestration” required the FAA to find $253 million in savings. The FAA in turn planned to shutter the contract tower program and furlough air traffic controllers to meet this requirement. Congress then stepped in and approved legislation giving the FAA the ability to reprogram existing funds within the FAA’s budget to apply towards the contract towers and air traffic controllers, which the agency has now done.
Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) were instrumental in pushing legislation through Congress that provided FAA with the authority they needed to move these funds.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA), Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA), and National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) lobbied together on this issue.