USCTA Statement and Background Information on
The Impact of Sequestration on FAA Contract Tower Program
February 25, 2013 -- The U.S. Contract Tower Association (USTCA), an affiliate organization of the
American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), remains greatly concerned about the potential
adverse impact that sequestration, effective March 1, could have on the operations of FAA contract and
FAA-staffed air traffic control (ATC) towers and the overall safety and efficiency of the national air
transportation system. A list of possible tower closures released by FAA on February 22 includes nearly
50 percent of control towers nationwide – 195 contract towers and 43 FAA-staffed towers (total of 238).
The USCTA urges Congress and the Administration to reach an agreement that protects vital FAA
programs, such as control towers, and limits disruptions to airports and the nation’s air
transportation system.
FAA Contract Tower Program: A Proven Record of Enhancing Aviation Safety and Efficiency
A recent Department of Transportation Inspector General report on the contract tower program
(November 5, 2012) makes it clear that contract towers enhance aviation safety at smaller airports in a
highly cost-effective manner to taxpayers that otherwise would not have a tower. If contract towers are
closed because of sequestration, many local communities would lose the significant safety benefits of
ATC services.
The nation’s 251 FAA contract towers, which handle 28 percent of tower operations in the U.S., work
together with FAA-staffed air traffic facilities as part of a unified national ATC system and serve a wide
variety of aviation users. For instance, many contract towers handle significant air carrier operations,
including commercial service airports in Kona and Lihue in Hawaii; Northwest Arkansas Regional
Airport; Phoenix-Mesa in Arizona; San Luis Obispo, Redding and Santa Maria in California; Redmond
and Medford in Oregon; Stewart, New York; Branson and Columbia in Missouri; Latrobe, Pennsylvania;
Lewisburg, West Virginia; Hyannis, Massachusetts; Charlottesville, Virginia; Key West, Panama City
and Gainesville in Florida; Bozeman, Missoula and Kalispell in Montana; Hailey, Lewiston, and Idaho
Falls in Idaho; Eagle and Grand Junction in Colorado; Jackson and Cheyenne in Wyoming, and Rapid
City, South Dakota.
Additionally, many FAA contract towers across the country provide the primary link between rural
communities and the national transportation system. Other contract towers serve as busy reliever airports
and are vital to the safe and efficient movement of general aviation traffic in major metropolitan areas
such as Chandler, Goodyear and Glendale in Phoenix; Opa Locka in Miami; Brown Field in San Diego;
Whitman in Los Angeles; Arlington, McKinney, Grand Prairie and Spinks in Dallas; Martin State Airport
in Baltimore; Fulton County in Atlanta; Waukegan in Chicago; Troutdale in Portland, Oregon; Lunken
Field in Cincinnati, and Anoka in Minneapolis.
FAA Contract Tower Program: Partner to the U.S. Military and Emergency Response
The U.S. military is a long-time advocate and user of FAA contract towers. Among the contract tower
airports with extensive military operations are Cecil Field, Florida; Mobile Downtown and Dothan,
Alabama; Millington, Tennessee; Golden Triangle and Meridian, Mississippi; Enid, Lawton and
Stillwater, Oklahoma; Victoria and San Angelo, Texas; Topeka Forbes and New Century, Kansas; Battle
Creek, Michigan; Martin State Airport, Maryland, and Stewart Airport, New York. There would be
significant impacts on military operations throughout the country since most military training missions
require operational control towers. Moreover, contract towers provide vital ATC services to emergency
response and medical flights.
Program Cuts From Sequestration Could Negatively Impact Safety
Should sequestration occur and contract towers close (even temporarily), there would be severe
operational impacts on the national aviation system. First and foremost, tower controllers give first
priority to separating aircraft and issuing safety and weather alerts. Without controllers in the tower, no
one will be performing these critical safety functions.
Additionally, in most cases, the Class D airspace assigned to the contract tower locations would revert to
Class E airspace. When this occurs, the overlying radar facility (terminal or enroute FAA facilities) would
then be responsible for the operations normally worked by the contract towers. As such, workloads would
increase dramatically for FAA facilities at the very same time those facilities will be facing the possibility
of reduce staffing due to sequestration. These developments would have a significant negative safety and
efficiency impact on the ATC system nationwide.
Also, air traffic controllers are the first line of defense for pilots and passengers in the event of an aircraft
accident. Tower controllers are likely to be the first to know of an aircraft in distress, and they become the
focal point for a rapid and effective emergency response. Furthermore, many contract towers have flight
schools. Student pilots must conduct portions of their training at airports with a tower. Closing contract
towers will force these students to fly into busier airports, introducing slow-flying student piloted aircraft
into the busy environment of larger commercial airports that will decrease the efficiency of these
operations and negatively impact safety.
FAA contract tower communities desire and deserve the safety benefits that these facilities provide. We
urge Congress and FAA to continue their support of this successful partnership that FAA, airports,
contract controllers, ATC contractors, FAA controllers and aviation users have developed over the past
three decades.
For Further Information: Contact Spencer Dickerson of AAAE/USTCA at 703/824-0500, ext. 130;
sdickerson@aaae.org