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FAA Extends Deadline to Close Airport Towers

The closure of air traffic control towers at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima and Gen. William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster scheduled for April 7 has been delayed by two months. The Federal Aviation Administration will use the additional time to make changes to the national airspace system that will result from the closures and to respond to legal challenges to the closure decisions. “This has been a complex process and we need to get this right,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a prepared statement. “Safety is our top priority. We will use this additional time to make sure communities and pilots understand the changes at their local airports.” The FAA released on March 22 its final list of 149 airport locations that would close their control towers as way to cut $673 million from its budget due to mandated sequestration. Whiteman Airport and Fox Field are both owned by Los Angeles County but operated by a third-party company. The tower at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale was spared being closed. Also, nearby airports in Oxnard and Victorville will close their towers. Airfields can operate with closed towers but generally can handle fewer takeoffs and landings due to more extensive procedures pilots must follow.

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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