via BBC News
The US aviation authority plans to close 149 air traffic control towers in response to steep budget cuts that took effect this month.
Towers will close at small airports but the facilities will remain open, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Pilots will have to co-ordinate takeoff and landing by themselves after 7 April using a shared radio channel.
The towers marked for closure are all staffed by private contractors. Critics say the move will compromise safety.
“We heard from communities across the country about the importance of their towers and these were very tough decisions,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.
But he said the closures of the control towers were an unavoidable response to the spending cuts known in Washington as the sequester.
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Article courtesy bbc.co.uk
