Martin State Air Traffic Control Tower to Close

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed on Friday that it would be shuttering the air traffic control tower at Martin State Airport.

The move was in response to the federal government's across-the-board spending cuts, which went into effect March 1.

To meet the demands of the sequester, the FAA had to cut $637 million from its $48 billion budget by September. As a result, it determined that airports with fewer than 150,000 flights per year would be candidates for air traffic control tower closures.

Martin State Airport and four others in Maryland were on the list of 149 airports the FAA released Friday where air traffic control towers will no longer be staffed after next month.

The move will likely cause delays at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, which uses Martin State as "a fifth runway," the manager of both airports told The Baltimore Sun.

Air traffic control tower shutdowns will begin April 7 and continue over the next four weeks.

Afterward, airports may continue to operate with pilots using a shared radio frequency to coordinate takeoffs and landings.

“We will work with the airports and the operators to ensure the procedures are in place to maintain the high level of safety at non-towered airports,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a prepared statement.

See Related:

• Martin State Airport Seeks Federal Cooperation
• FAA Mulls Fate of Martin State Air Traffic Control Towers