TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration says it will close four air traffic control towers in Oklahoma in a move to reduce its budget by hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Oklahoma control towers to be closed starting early next month are at the Lawton-Ft. Sill Regional, University of Oklahoma Westheimer, Wiley Post and Stillwater Regional airports.
The four towers are among 149 nationally the FAA announced Friday it plans to close. Stillwater Regional Airport Director Gary Johnson says the tower closure at his facility will cost five jobs and reduce annual flights by up to 20 percent. He says the airport had about 60,000 flights last year.
Johnson says he's concerned about safety as pilots are left to coordinate landings and takeoffs between themselves instead of with an air traffic controller.
