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Eagle County airport lands a solution to potential staffing gaps at control tower

FAA will have two controllers ready to work by Feb. 1

Officials from the Eagle County Regional Airport are working to ensure at least partial staffing at the airport's control tower when management of the facility changes Feb. 1.
Eagle County Regional Airport/Courtesy photo

It looks like a path has been found to potential staffing gaps at the control tower at the Eagle County Regional Airport.

Airport officials announced last week that a change in tower management could result in delays in flight operations at the facility. Officials were notified in December that management at the tower would change Feb. 1 from Serco, which had managed the tower for more than a decade. Effective Saturday, management will be taken over by Robinson Aviation. Tower operation is managed by the Federal Aviation Administration, and the county has no control over that facility.

The changeover comes during the airport’s busiest season.



At a Monday work session of the Eagle County Board of Commissioners, commissioners and County Manager Jeff Shroll noted that the airport sees some sort of flight operation as quickly as every 90 seconds during peak periods.

In an interview last week, Eagle County Aviation Director David Reid said the change in tower operators wasn’t a turnkey proposition. The controllers from Serco weren’t hired by Robinson, and Robinson’s controllers weren’t yet FAA-certified to run operations at the airport.

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That left the local airport with the prospect of flight operations — from commercial flights to general aviation to military flights — being coordinated by the control center at Denver. That could result in delays, Reid said.

Reid noted that the Denver-directed system is safe, adding that the system works effectively at Steamboat Springs and other regional airports. But, he noted, that system slows down flight operations.

But word came this week that FAA officials this week put two controllers at the tower, and those people were at work earning their certification to direct traffic at Eagle County. The plan is for those people to be ready to work as of Saturday, Feb. 1.


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In addition, Robinson Aviation is expected to have people this week beginning their airport-specific certification process.

But, in an emailed update, Reid added that “the situation remains fluid.”

With tower control in transition, “there may still be periods of no controller coverage … until we are completely spooled up with permanent staff,” Reid wrote. During those times, traffic control will revert to Denver, which means delays may be possible.

During Monday’s update to the commissioners, Shroll complimented Reid for his work getting controllers in place at the airport, saying Reid has been “working nonstop” to get the situation resolved.


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