The Federal Aviation Administration will start furloughing most of its 47,000 employees next month as the agency implements budget cuts under sequestration, administrator Michael Huerta said Wednesday.
ATWOnline reports Huerta said the agency does not have a lead time to implement the cuts and must start immediately.
By Sept. 30, the FAA must reduce its budget by more than $620 million to fulfill the sequester cuts.
According to CNN, the FAA has told air traffic control tower operators the agency will close 173 towers at small- and medium-sized airports on April 7.
The FAA will close another 16 towers on Sept. 30, the report said.
Spenser Dickerson, head of the Contract Tower Association, told CNN the agency is cutting 189 out of 251 total contract towers.
The U.S. General Accounting Office has shown that the Federal Contract Tower Program has saved millions. The economic impact to the already struggling economy in the event of these closures promises to be a major setback. Clearly, this course of action will not enhance public safety.