Air traffic control towers in Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers could close should sequestration — a series of wide-ranging across-the-board budget cuts — be triggered Friday, according to a Federal Aviation Administration news release.
Airport officials were scrambling Monday to make sense of the proposed closings.
“It appears the only two airports in the state that will still have air traffic control is Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas Regional airport,” said Ray Hobbs, chairman of the Rogers Airport Commission.
At A Glance
Air Traffic Control Tower Closings
The Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers airports are on the closing list. The closings are part of the Federal Aviation Administration plans to save $600 million by shutting 100 air traffic control towers at small airports, eliminating overnight shifts at 60 towers and furloughing 47,000 employees at least one day a pay period.
Source: Staff Report
“I can’t believe they are thinking of closing Fort Smith,” said Mike Moser, owner of Aero Med Express based at the Rogers Airport.
Area airports could and would continue to function without the towers, but safety might become an issue, airport officials said.
“It’s not right to close these regional towers when there are other budget cuts that could be made that won’t have a negative impact on air safety,” said Ray Boudreaux, Fayetteville Drake Field manager. “Sure we can still operate, but it will be at greater risk without a tower to control the air space at the field.”
James Smith, Springdale Municipal Airport manager, said he wasn’t sure what the effect would be on the airport.
“There’s no way to know what’s going to happen at this point,” he said. “Congress could stop the sequestration or reinstate money for the FAA. I don’t think anybody really knows whether or what the total effect of losing air traffic control towers in this area would be.”