MORGANTOWN – Last week, The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration released a list of control towers that are scheduled for closure in the event that budget sequestration goes into effect on March 1. Morgantown Municipal Airport isn’t on that list, but administrators say that doesn’t mean MGW will remain unaffected.
Director Michael Clow says Morgantown Municipal Airport is the only airport in West Virginia that doesn’t appear on either the “Facilities Where Overnight Shifts Could be Eliminated” or “Air Traffic Control Facilities That Could be Closed” list. He explained that North Central West Virginia Airport in Bridgeport is on that list. Its control tower helps with approaches and departures from MGW, and if it’s closed, the responsibility to sequence flights to Morgantown will fall on the next higher level air traffic control facility, which is the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center.
With the increased distance from Morgantown, and Cleveland’s increased responsibilities, comes slower arrival times for airplanes.
If budget sequestration goes into effect on March 1, the agencies affected have to give 30 day notice for furloughs and layoffs. That means the last day for many of those who work in these control towers could be April 1.