Hanna Urges FAA Not To Close Griffiss Air Control Tower

Congressman Richard Hanna says closing the air control tower at Griffiss International Airport is a bad plan.

Hanna told Federal Aviation Administration officials that closing Griffiss' tower is "short-sighted and unnecessary" and could pose a security risk if the region is under assault.

The lawmaker also noted Griffiss' use by the U.S. Army and Air Force, and if needed, for wide-body jets and other large aircraft faced with an emergency landing situation.

Griffiss International Airport also played a large role in both Tropical Storm Lee in 2011 as a staging site for the Illinois Air National Guard, and in 2012 as a staging site for FEMA during Hurricane Sandy.

Recently, the control tower was listed by the FAA as one of 189 contract towers slated to close in order to reach $628 million in sequestration cuts.