MONROE, La. (AP) — Monroe Regional Airport officials will learn next week whether the Federal Aviation Administration will abandon its control tower there.
Meanwhile, the city and its partners, including CenturyLink, are putting on a full-court press to lobby the FAA to keep the Monroe tower staff intact.
Airport manager Ron Phillips tells The News-Star (http://tnsne.ws/10Q1FaA ) the FAA is expected to make a decision by Monday on what towers to close and notify those airports by Wednesday.
Control towers at 200 airports, including Monroe Regional, are at risk because of federal budget cuts, with 100 of those targeted for closure.
If the Monroe tower closes, local traffic would be guided by controllers in Dallas-Fort Worth, but Mayor Jamie Mayo and others fear commercial airlines might diminish or cease service in Monroe if that happens.
“I don’t consider traffic being controlled from DFW a viable option,” Mayo said.
Though many of the airport towers selected will close April 7, local officials believe Monroe’s tower, if selected, wouldn’t close until Sept. 30 because it is staffed by FAA employees. Other towers are staffed by contract employees.
Monroe Chamber President Sue Nicholson said Thursday’s conference call “was a chance for us to develop a strategy.”
“This isn’t just a local issue,” Nicholson said. “We believe it has national significance. This airport is used as a military training site for pilots at bases in other states who use it for touch-and-go landings and a deployment site for the National Guard.
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Information from: The News-Star, http://www.thenewsstar.com
