(Photo: WBOC)EASTON, Md.- The Easton Airport handles nearly 50,000 operations a year and when the FAA announced it might cut the air traffic control tower to save money, airport officials were concerned.
"The tower controllers under the present proposal would be let go," said Easton Airport Manager Mike Henry. "If it does close we are going to have to alert all of our tenants and users that they will have to be extra vigilant, cause the tower in the past has helped provide traffic information, that service won't be there."
Small planes, large corporate jets, military aircrafts and helicopters all arrive and depart from Easton. An air traffic controller who did not want to use their name told WBOC that with a variety of aircraft, not having a tower will affect safety.
The tower costs $500,000 a year to operate according to airport officials. Henry said that if you look at the big picture, it is well worth the cost.
"All it would take is one accident, a new jet can cost $450,000, not to mention the loss of equipment, also the loss of life or injury the dollars don't seem to add up," said Henry.
Not only could it affect safety, Henry said cutting their tower could cost them business.
"The bottom line is it's going to have an economic impact," Henry said. "I don't think the FAA is concerned with that at this point, but we certainly are here at the airport."
