Sen. McLachlan, Legislators Advocate for Danbury Airport Tower

From left to right: Sen. Andrew Maynard (D-Stonington), U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Sen. Toni Boucher (R-Wilton), Sen. Scott Frantz (R-Greenwich), and Sen. McLachlan (R-Danbury).

On May 13, Sen. Michael McLachlan (at far right) joined a bipartisan group of federal and state officials to discuss steps being taken to secure funding for Connecticut’s small airport towers. The U.S. Department of Transportation on May 10 announced that the air traffic control towers set to close because of budget cuts will stay open, but only through September.

The legislators, who were joined by aviation officials from across Connecticut, spoke about their concerns with short-term fixes when it comes to air towers.

“I appreciate our state’s congressional delegation stepping up with Republicans and Democrats on behalf of Danbury Airport and so many airports across the country,” Sen. McLachlan said. “These control towers maintain safety and order in the skies, and going without the Danbury Municipal Airport Tower would lead to a lack of traffic flow safety. Closing the Danbury tower would be like allowing an intersection with an out-of-service traffic light to go without a traffic director.”