As negotiations for a new air traffic control service at the San Carlos Airport continue Thursday, the San Mateo County airport is considering the temporary use of unstaffed tower procedures.
The airport, which goes by the three-letter code SQL, is preparing to transition to a new air traffic service. The Federal Aviation Administration awarded a new contract to Robinson Aviation (RVA), but the contract does not include enough pay to account for the high cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to airport manager Gretchen Kelly.
Kelly posted an announcement saying that the control tower may be unmanned by Saturday.
"As a result, RVA's employment offers to current SQL controllers were significantly lower than their current compensation under Serco," she said.
Serco provides air traffic services internationally, and its contract is ending Friday. "Understandably, all current controllers have declined RVA's offers. As a contingency, RVA is preparing to bring in controllers from other towers across the country to prevent an ATC-Zero (unstaffed tower) situation on Saturday," she said.
Kelly said the airport requested temporary FAA staffing for the tower -- a solution currently being implemented at Eagle County Regional Airport in Colorado during its transition from Serco to RVA. She said the San Carlos airport is also exploring options to return its tower to Serco.
"However, the FAA informed us this morning that they will not provide temporary personnel for SQL," she said.
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In a follow up announcement, San Carlos airport spokesperson Davi Howard said airport operations will continue without disruption.
"Pilots remain well-trained in non-towered airport procedures," Howard said. "Additionally, the surrounding airspace remains under the direct oversight of the FAA's Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Control."
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That is an air traffic control facility near Sacramento that provides safety alerts, separation, and sequencing of air traffic arriving, departing and traveling through the airspace throughout Northern California, covering nearly 20,000 square miles. According to the Air Safety Institute, an educational program of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, nearly 20,000 airports in the United States do not have towers, compared to approximately 500 that have towers.
Howard said the county and airport understands that the controllers and RVA have nearly reached an agreement, and there will likely be no lapse in air traffic control services.
Public concerns over air safety have risen after a deadly collision between an American Airlines plane and Army helicopter just outside of Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night, killing all 67 people aboard the two aircrafts.
According to Kelly, the San Carlos airport is pursuing several solutions at once, including the involvement of U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo.
"It is well known that the San Francisco Bay Area has a high cost of living, and federal agencies need to account for regional differences when evaluating how to establish contracts for critical services," Mullin said in an emailed statement. "I am pleased to learn that contract negotiations have moved in a positive direction and a resolution is forthcoming."