Rep. Castor Urges Transportation Secretary Buttigieg, FAA Administrator Dickson to Expedite Replacement for TPA Air Traffic Control Tower Due to Deteriorating Conditions

Press Release

Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) urged U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Steve Dickson to expedite the replacement of a new Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control tower at Tampa International Airport due to its deteriorated condition. A bipartisan infrastructure package passed by the Senate and soon to be considered by the House allocates $25 billion to address our nation's airports.

"The Tampa Airport air traffic control tower and dedicated controllers have served us well for almost fifty years, but the tower is at the end of its useful life and is in need of replacement as soon as possible. In fact, the tower has been seriously deficient for a number of years. I toured the tower personally several years ago and was shocked at the state of the tower. I relayed my concerns to FAA at that time, and spoke with FAA officials in July 2015, and rather than proceed with replacement, the FAA chose to make repairs. Since that time, the conditions in the tower have deteriorated. At a time when the Congress and President Joe Biden are poised to make major investments in critical American infrastructure, the Tampa Airport air traffic control tower must be a top priority," wrote Rep. Castor.

"Some air traffic control facilities suffer from major physical infrastructure issues, while others have long exceeded their lifespan. TPA Tower is one of the oldest and in most need of replacement of all of FAA's Core 30 airport air traffic control towers," said Jen McCoy, National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) Local President.

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