Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport Could See Overnight Tower Closures As Part of Sequester

The City of Lubbock’s airport could see reduced air traffic control hours if automatic federal spending cuts are implemented next week.

A number of smaller Texas airports could see their hours reduced or even close if sequestration occurs next week, as part of a $600 million spending reduction that would be required of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Air traffic control facilities that could be closed include Waco Regional, East Texas Regional in Longview, and Victoria Regional.

While the Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport control tower is not in current danger of closure, it could see overnight air traffic control shifts eliminated under the spending cuts. Others that could see overnight shifts eliminated include control towers in Abilene, Austin, Corpus Christi, and El Paso.

Larger airports such as Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston are not candidates for any closures or reductions, as the cuts are mostly set to affect airports that have fewer than 10,000 commercial flights annually.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.