Mercer County learned today that the DOT/FAA appropriations legislation for FY 2016 was approved by the full Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday, and includes a total of $154.4 million in dedicated funding for the FAA contract tower program, including the air traffic control tower at Trenton-Mercer Airport.
“Mercer County is appreciative of the congressional leaders who continue to recognize the vital significance of airports like Trenton-Mercer Airport and the necessity of funding contract towers,” said Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes. “Millions of travelers far beyond the borders of Mercer County have grown to depend on Trenton-Mercer Airport.”
The air traffic control tower at Trenton-Mercer Airport was among the 189 contracted towers funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that were facing elimination or reduced tower operations in 2013 as a result of federal spending cuts, known as the sequester.
County Executive Hughes aggressively appealed to the FAA and to Washington to continue funding for the tower, citing the implications of possible detrimental impact to the Mercer County economy and safety of local airspace.
The airport experiences 80,000 takeoffs/landings per year.
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