Minnesota airport towers slated to close may remain open through summer
All 149 air traffic control towers that were slated to close will now stay open at least through the summer, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.
Control towers at the St. Cloud Regional and the Anoka County-Blaine airports will stay open until the end of September, when the government's fiscal year ends.
The FAA first announced the closures in March because of federal budget cuts.
The closures had been scheduled to begin in April and later changed to mid-June.
Even after Congress passed the Reducing Fight Delays Act last month, it was unclear whether the funds could be used to keep the contract towers open.
But in a statement today, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood confirmed the law allows funding for the towers.
Both of towers that were slated to close in Minnesota are in Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's district. She applauded the decision, saying the towers "are vital to the safety of our air transportation system."
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