Planes landing at Tweed-New Haven Airport will get the guidance of air traffic controllers for two more months, after a decision Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA had been planning to close Tweed’s air traffic control tower on May 5 due to the federal sequester — automatic budget cuts triggered by gridlock in Washington.
Local politicians and business leaders fought the closure. The FAA has pushed back the closure date to June 15, the Connecticut delegation announced Friday in a press release.
“The decision to close air traffic control towers was misguided and unnecessary and we will continue to push for every opportunity to reverse this harmful action,” the press release reads. “These closures will put at risk not only public safety, but also our local economies that rely on these airports for jobs and tax revenue. We hope this delay will allow the FAA time to reconsider its decision, and we’ll continue to work to make sure they do.”