Congressional Delegation Joins Push for Continued Air Traffic Control in Leesburg

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Members of Loudoun’s congressional delegation are urging the Federal Aviation Administration to continue air traffic control services at Leesburg Executive Airport following the announcement that its remote tower program will end as early as June 14.

The town leaders have been scrambling to keep the safety system in place after learning Feb. 21 that the FAA planned to terminate the remote tower program that has guided traffic in and around the airport since 2018. At the time that notice was given, the town was advised the airspace would return to uncontrolled operations—a situation local leaders and pilots say would be unsafe given the number of flights at the airport and the flight restrictions in place near Dulles Airport and around the national capital.

Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10) on Monday sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen urging the FAA to extend the services until a long-term solution is worked out.

“As long-time supporters of the remote tower program at [Leesburg Executive Airport], we are deeply concerned that FAA’s decision to end air traffic control services at Leesburg on June 14, 2023, will compromise safety, and urge the FAA to allow for the continuation of air traffic control (ATC) services at the airport while working with stakeholders on a long-term solution,” the letter stated.

The letter notes that the delegation has supported congressional appropriations of more than $30 million since 2018 to fund the FAA’s Remote Tower Pilot Program, which resulted in the successful deployment of the technology in Leesburg and at another testing site in Colorado.

Leesburg Executive Airport was the first municipal airport in the country to implement a remote tower program in 2015, using a system developed by Saab. The system went into operation in 2018 and was certified as operationally viable in 2021 following extensive air traffic operational and safety risk performance evaluations. The airport has seen operations grow by 47% the introduction of air traffic control services.

The remote tower shutdown follows a change in the FAA review standards that prompted Saab to determine it was no longer feasible to pursue full certification for the system.

The town pursued the experimental remote tower system as an alternative to building a more expensive brick and mortar tower at the airport. Town leaders are working to determine how quickly a tower could be constructed and outfitted, how much it would cost, and how it would be paid for.

The congressional delegation supported the town’s request to keep air traffic control operations running until an alternate system is in place.

“We reiterate our concerns about the safety impacts of terminating ATC services at the airport and urge the FAA to act to prevent such a scenario from becoming reality,” they wrote.

“[W]e request that the FAA assemble a small team of experts to independently evaluate the history of the Leesburg remote tower project, including all test, operational, and maintenance records. Our purpose is to determine if the Leesburg remote tower system already meets the intent of the FAA’s recently established design approval requirements, and thereby would allow for the continued provision of ATC services at the airport,” the letter states. “We are concerned that the certification process used for this innovative system is not standard for non-federal equipment, has changed several times over the years, and after five years changed again, and we strongly believe that an approval limited to Leesburg would recognize the system’s demonstrated reliable and safe performance, enabling ATC tower services to continue to operate and maintaining safe operations at the airport.”

Saab representatives have committed to continue to support the remote tower system—a system already used at European airports—if the FAA permits it to remain in Leesburg.

Town leaders last week met with FAA representatives to discuss options to maintain air traffic control services at the airport. A second meeting is planned March 23. The Town Council is expected to be briefed on the status during its March 27 work session. n