Five Kansas Air Control Towers Saved

Control towers at five airfields in Kansas will stay open now that the FAA has cancelled plans to close 149 similar towers across the country.

Control towers at airfields in Topeka, Manhattan, Hutchinson, and two in Olathe had been slated for closure. But the FAA said Friday it will keep the towers open after Congressional approval of a bill directing the FAA to find savings in its budget rather than furloughing air traffic controllers and closing control towers at the smaller, regional airfields.

The towers operated by contractors for the FAA at low-traffic airports had been scheduled to close June 15.

The U.S Transportation Department said Friday they’ll stay open at least through Sept. 30, the end of the federal budget year.

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Associated Press information from: The Topeka Capital-Journal