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Manchester Airport Officials Oppose Move To Cut Tower's Overnight Hours

Manchester-Boston Regional Airport Tower
J. Stephen Conn
/
Flickr Creative Commons

Officials at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport are pushing back against a recommendation that the control tower be closed from midnight to 6 in the morning.

The proposal comes out of an internal review done every few years by the regional FAA Control Tower Manager based in Manchester.

It’s now up to the FAA whether to follow through.

Airport spokesman Tom Malafonte says the recommendation is still in the early stages, but airport officials with the airport have already reached out to the FAA to make clear their opposition.

“We know that we can put equipment and procedures in place to be able to operate the airport with the tower closed between midnight and 6, but our preference, because of the type of operation that we run here and having a strong cargo component, is that we would prefer to have the tower staffed 24/7.”

He says Manchester’s status as a diversion airport, where flights can be sent in cases of severe weather, makes closing the tower overnight a particular concern.

The airport has seen its flight volume decline in recent years.

Members of New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation also oppose the move and have written a letter to the FAA.

Michael serves as NHPR's Program Director. Michael came to NHPR in 2012, working as the station's newscast producer/reporter. In 2015, he took on the role of Morning Edition producer. Michael worked for eight years at The Telegraph of Nashua, covering education and working as the metro editor.
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