Everett’s Paine Field Air Traffic Control Tower Spared From Closure List

Citing its national importance, the FAA on Friday spared Everett’s Paine Field from a list of airports who were in jeopardy of having their Air Traffic Control Towers shut down due to budget problems. Five other airports in Washington State were not so lucky including Renton, Olympia and Yakima. You can click here to see the entire list of airports shut down across the nation. The FAA said in a press release it used the following criteria to decide which airport control towers to keep open.

The national interest considerations included: (1) significant threats to national security as determined by the FAA in consultation with the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security; (2) significant, adverse economic impact that is beyond the impact on a local community; (3) significant impact on multi-state transportation, communication or banking/financial networks; and (4) the extent to which an airport currently served by a contract tower is a critical diversionary airport to a large hub.

In addition to reviewing materials submitted on behalf of towers on the potential closure list, DOT consulted with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, and conducted operational assessments of each potential tower closure on the national air transportation system.