At Urging of NC Delegation, FAA Announces Plan to Construct New Control Tower at PTI Airport
Washington,
Apr 8, 2011 -
At Urging of NC Delegation, FAA Announces Plan to Construct New Control Tower at PTI Airport
April 8, 2011
Contact:
Sadie Weiner
202-379-8421
Jack Pfeiffer
202-657-2007
press@hagan.senate.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C. –At the urging of U.S. Sen. Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) and U.S. Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has endorsed a plan to construct a replacement air traffic control tower at the Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI). The current tower is almost four decades old, and there are obstructed views of portions of the airfield. The replacement tower will allow controllers to have an unobstructed view of the airfield.
“I am very appreciative that the FAA listened to our concerns," said Hagan, who toured the current tower last June with Doug Murphy, FAA Southern Region Administrator. "The safety hazards of the current tower are extremely concerning, and I have been working in a bipartisan fashion with my colleagues and the airport to resolve the situation. The FAA’s decision to construct a new PTI tower will ensure safe travel to and from the Triad and promote jobs and economic development in the region.”
“As a longtime member of the Aviation subcommittee, I have taken every opportunity since construction of the new runway began in 2007 to ask FAA officials about the process for construction of a new tower and expressed our obvious safety concerns,” Coble said. “This announcement is the first step in what will be a long process to determine what our airport needs are and how they will be advanced as funding becomes available. Nonetheless, this is an important commitment from the federal government to the airport authority, those who work in these facilities, the business community, and the public flying in and out of PTI.”
“After working on this project for more than nine years, we at PTI are very delighted that a new air traffic control tower is finally coming to fruition,” said Henry Isaacson, Chairman of the PTI Airport Authority. “This tower is a significant development for the airport, both from a safety and economic perspective, and its impact will be felt for generations. We are all incredibly grateful to our Congressional delegation for the work they did to make this possible.”
In 2010, more than 840,000 passengers flew through PTI, in addition to more than 190 million pounds of cargo.
