Cuts to Force Control Tower Shutdown at McCollum Field

The air traffic control tower at McCollum Field in Kennesaw is expected to be shut down due to sequestration cuts taking effect April 7.

McCollum was on a list of more than 100 potential tower closings that the DOT released in February. Airports that made the list have fewer than 150,000 flight operations per year, and are non-airline focused.

This week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notified Cobb County that it would cut funding for McCollum's on-site traffic control.

Airport manager Karl Von Hagel told The Marietta Daily Journal that "planes will have to rely on plane-to-plane communications in order to land" after the shutdown of McCollum's control tower.

This will likely make the field a less efficient operation, and cause a "reduction in the margin of safety" that results in aircraft owners or pilots choosing other airports over McCollum, the MDJ reports.

Seven employees who provide air-control services, including six full-time and one part-time, will be laid off as a result of the sequestration cuts.