Sequester Could Lead to Delays and Fewer Arrivals at Hartsfield-Jackson
If Congress fails to reach a deficit reduction deal and avoid across the board cuts known as the sequester Friday it could soon mean delays and fewer arrivals at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
If the sequester happens, the Federal Aviation Administration plans to cut $600 million dollars for the rest of the fiscal year. The FAA says that would result in furloughs for most FAA employees, including air traffic controllers. Victor Santore with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association says the FAA could also do away with overtime for controllers which would affect Hartsfield-Jackson.
“Immediately there won’t be enough controllers and then if we begin to furlough one day a week or one day every other week, the cuts are going to be even more severe.”
Santore says fewer controllers would mean the airport would only use two rather than three runways for arrivals.
“Depending on weather conditions across the board it would be about 25 to 30 aircraft that could land at Atlanta.
That would mean both arrival and departure delays.
The FAA has also announced if the sequester happens, it will close 100 air traffic control towers at U.S. airports with fewer than 150,000 flight operations or 10,000 commercial operations per year. Seven of those facilities are in Georgia.
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