Blumenthal, Murphy Statement On FAA’s Decision To Close Air Traffic Control Towers At Six Airports In Connecticut

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released a statement on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to close air traffic control towers at six airports in Connecticut, including one that provides commercial service. The airports affected are Sikorsky Memorial, Danbury Municipal, Groton-New London, Hartford-Brainard, Tweed-New Haven, and Waterbury-Oxford.  

In addition to closing air traffic control towers at six airports in Connecticut, the FAA decided to close towers at 143 other airports across the country. 

“We are deeply disappointed by the FAA's decision. Closing air traffic control towers at all six of these airports, including one that provides commercial service, will cause needless harm to the residents who work there and the regional economies that depend on their services. We will continue to fight to restore federal funding for these towers, which will include offering an amendment tonight that will make it easier to do so. We call on our colleagues in the Senate and the House to join us in this effort to prevent these damaging cuts," Blumenthal and Murphy said. 

The amendment that will be offered by Blumenthal and Murphy aims to protect future legislation to reopen these towers from being subjected to a 60-vote threshold for budgetary reasons, which could ease the passage of this sort of legislation through the Senate.