Vitter Applauds Decision to Protect Shreveport Control Tower

Press Release

U.S. Sen. David Vitter today applauded the decision by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to delay closing the air traffic control tower at the Shreveport Downtown Airport. The control tower was set to close this weekend. The FAA will delay closing a total of 149 control towers. Vitter met with officials yesterday from the Shreveport Downtown Airport, the Shreveport Airport Authority, and Barksdale Air Force Base to extend his support for the control tower.

"The FAA's decision is positive news. We know the necessary savings to keep the towers open exists, and now we need to make sure this funding is reallocated so our airports like the Shreveport Downtown Airport aren't negatively affected," Vitter said. "There's no good reason that this or other control towers have to close at all."

Last month, Vitter cosponsored a bipartisan amendment to give greater flexibility and authority to the Department of Transportation (DOT) to shift funding within the department from areas with the least impact from the automatic cuts. Vitter also supported a bipartisan bill to prohibit DOT from closing any air traffic control towers, including the control tower at the Downtown Shreveport Airport.

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