[Updated] FAA: Ramona Airport Traffic Control Tower Closure On Hold

Ramona Airport's Traffic Control Tower won't close Sunday under sequestration, as originally planned, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Friday, but County Supervisor Dianne Jacob says the delay is “not good enough.”

The agency said that it will delay the closures of all 149 federal contract air traffic control towers until June 15.

Last month, County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, whose district includes Ramona, called the impending closure a "disaster in the making" on CNN.

“U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today that safety is the FAA’s top priority. If that was the case, the federal government shouldn’t even be talking about pulling air controllers out of Ramona,” Jacob said in a statement. “The tower is on the front line of public safety in our region, and closing it would a disaster, especially as we approach the height of the wildfire season.”

In March, the FAA announced it would eliminate funding for these towers as part of the agency’s required $637 million budget cuts under sequestration.

The FAA said they would start a four-week phase out of the 149 towers beginning on April 7. Ramona Airport's tower was among the first on the chopping block.

See also: FAA: Ramona Airport Control Tower Will Close April 7

“This additional time will allow the agency to attempt to resolve multiple legal challenges to the closure decisions,” the FAA said in a press release.

As part of the tower closure implementation process, the agency said they continue to consult with airports and operators and review appropriate risk mitigations. Extending the transition deadline, the FAA said, will give them and airports more time to execute the changes to the National Airspace System.

“This has been a complex process and we need to get this right,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Safety is our top priority. We will use this additional time to make sure communities and pilots understand the changes at their local airports.”

As of today, the FAA said that about 50 airport authorities and other stakeholders have indicated they may join the FAA’s non-Federal Contract Tower program and fund the tower operations themselves.

The delay in closures will allow the FAA to help facilitate that transition.

“We will continue our outreach to the user community to answer any questions and address their concerns about these tower closures,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

How do you feel about the delay? Do you think Ramona Airport's Traffic Control Tower should be funded some other way?