Five Kansas air traffic control towers to close
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Five small Kansas airports are among those that will have their towers shut down by the Federal Aviation Administration because of federal budget cuts.
Airport towers slated to stop operations in Kansas include Hutchinson Municipal Airport, New Century in Olathe, Manhattan Regional Airport, Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe and Philip Billard Municipal Airport in Topeka.
The closures will not force the shutdown of any of the airports. But pilots will be left to coordinate takeoffs and landings among themselves over a shared radio frequency with no help from ground controllers under procedures that all pilots are trained to carry out.
The plan has raised concerns over the impact on safety and the potential financial effect on communities that rely on airports as economic engines for attracting business.
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