No Sequester Deal, Salisbury Control Tower To Close April 1st - WMDT 47 News - Delmarva's Choice

SALISBURY, Md. - The spending cuts may soon take off from the runway without a control tower at Salisbury Airport.

"The presence of the control tower we thought was always going to be here," said Bob Bryant, Salisbury Airport Manager.

Cutbacks are coming after President Barack Obama signed the Sequester Bill Friday night.

"These cuts are not smart. They will hurt our economy and cost us jobs," said the President.

Among the cuts locally, the loss of the control tower at the Salisbury Airport. Bryant says the tower will shut down April 1st and now they're just awaiting the pink slip which he says should come within the next few weeks.

"Our fear is we're going to see military operations plummet," said Bryant.

In February, the airport had about three times as many military operations as general flights, with 1,450-544, as well as the airport's new partnership with NASA Wallops to bring Aerospace jobs to the area.

But there may not be any immediate change. 

Officials at Wallops Island sent over a statement via phone to WMDT saying, "So far, we have not received any word of the impacts of the sequester on Wallops operations."

Bryant says he will continue to market the airport as an alternative for airline passengers from driving to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and DC with or without the control tower.

We are told seven air traffic workers could be furloughed with the closing of the control tower. Midwest Air Traffic Control, who runs the air traffic control tower at Salisbury Airport could not be reached for comment.