The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently decided to continue 24-hour Air Traffic Control operations at West Virginia’s Huntington Tri-State Airport.
The FAA had proposed in October cutting 24-hour Air operations.
U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, sent a letter to the FAA in January, requesting the agency reconsider.
“I appreciate the FAA’s commitment to the Huntington area by maintaining Huntington Tri-State Airport’s 24-hour operation of their air traffic control tower,” Capito said. “Since becoming aware of FAA’s proposal to possibly limit the operating hours at HTS, my office has worked diligently to express concern and stay on top of this issue. The mountainous terrain at the airport makes the 24-hour coverage critical to the level of safety when managing their operations. I am glad the FAA decided to maintain the 24- hour operations, which will ultimately have a positive impact on the community and allow the airport to continue to grow.”
Reducing Air Traffic Control hours would have decreased safety at the airport and threatened current commercial and cargo operations, Manchin said.
The FAA also has decided to maintain 24-hour Air Traffic Control operations at Yeager Airport in Charleston.