The FAA has given a reprieve to all of the control towers that were scheduled to close this month.
The FAA announced Friday that it will delay the closure of 149 towers including the one at the Southern Illinois Airport until June 15th because of legal challenges to the closures.
SIU officials says the SI Airports tower was scheduled to close on April 21st. The head of Southern Illinois University's Aviation Management program says the FAA's control tower closings must be stopped. Aviation Management Chairman David NewMyer says what's very wrong with this situation is that the FAA has a mission to maintain safety of aviation in America and they are turning their back on 149 airports across the country by closing those control towers.
NewMyer also says closing the Southern Illinois Airport tower and others shows the FAA's disregard of the pilot shortage. NewMyer says without the control towers it will make the training of pilots less efficient.
The FAA is being forced to trim $637 million for the rest of the fiscal year under the federal cuts known as sequestration. SIU isn't the only school dealing with tower closures. The FAA is closing towers used by collegiate aviation programs around the country.
says SIU's Aviation students are being encouraged to help fight the closures. Tuesday they held an informational meeting and rally at the SI Airport. The FAA plans to close the tower at the Southern Illinois Airport around 9:00 pm on April 21st.
