Metropolitan King County Council members Reagan Dunn and Julia Patterson, who both represent the city of Renton, were joined by King County Sheriff John Urquhart in a letter sent to Congress urging its members to support full funding for contract air traffic controllers, specifically at the Renton Municipal Airport.
“This airport is critically important to King County and the region,” said Dunn. “Congress must act and guarantee that the Renton Municipal Airport and others like it have the needed funding to operate fully and continue contributing to the local economy.”
”The control tower at the Renton Municipal Airport helps protects people and keep commerce moving every single day,” said Council Vice Chair Patterson. “Pilots, passengers, and people on the ground depend on guidance from the control tower to keep them safe. We cannot afford to close down this vital piece of public safety infrastructure.”
Federal budget reductions earlier this year threatened to limit and remove staff from control towers at many municipal airports, including Renton. Earlier this year, member of the Washington State Congressional delegation help secure temporary funding to ensure the Renton Municipal Airport stayed open through September 30. In the letter, the Councilmembers and Sheriff stress that the airport is a key asset to the local economy and the Boeing Company, and urged Congress to find the funds to support the controllers indefinitely.
At their Renton plant, Boeing is currently manufacturing 38 planes per month and is scaling up to produce 42 planes per month by 2014. The lack of a control tower could significantly impact Boeing’s production and delivery schedule for a product that is projected to generate $32 billion in revenue. Furthermore, delays and safety concerns that stem from closing control towers could detract from our regional efforts to secure the production of the next generation of the 777 in the Puget Sound area.
The King County Sheriff’s Office also conducts its Air Support Unit operations from the Renton Municipal Airport. These operations are vital for search and rescue operations, as well as support of patrol operations throughout the entire region. Any closure of the control tower would have safety implications for Sheriff deputies and pilots, impacting their ability to serve the region.
“The Sheriff’s Air Support Unit is critical to patrol operations as well as Search & Rescue throughout the Puget Sound area,” said Sheriff Urquhart. “An operable control tower is critical for the safety of our pilots.”
