UPDATE: St. Pete's Air Traffic Control in Holding Pattern
The FAA has delayed a decision on which air traffic control towers may close across the U.S. St. Pete's airport is on the list.
The Federal Aviation Administration has delayed its decision on which small airports will lose their airport control towers due to budget cuts, according to media reports.
Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St. Petersburg is on the list of 200 control towers across the nation that may be closed. The cuts were to be announcemend Monday but have been delayed to Friday, according to KTVL CBS.
The FAA disclosed the list of airports in February that were targeted for closure to save $600 million in funding. The other Southwest-Central Florida airport that may be closed is Lakeland Linder, WFla.com reports.
Without air traffic control, pilots must rely on their own navigational instruments for landing without assistance from professionals in control towers who monitor flights taking off and landing.
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CJ
12:00 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
With the main airport across the bay in Tampa, it is silly to call the St Pete one an ''International'' one also. It's almost embarrasing to claim it as one...lol.