189 smaller airports nationwide received letters from the FAA this week that announced they must close their towers by early April. 

Phoenix-Goodyear and Glendale’s municipal airports are on the list.  So are Tucson’s Ryan Field and the Laughlin-Bullhead airport.  Laughlin-Bullhead airport director David Gaines said passenger and pilot safety would be jeopardized if the towers stop operations:  “The context and makeup of the air traffic at this airport  justifies that  safety is paramount and has to be considered.  Its risky business when you start  moving a lot of types of airplanes in the same airport traffic area."

Gaines said his airport tower directs more than 20-thousand flights a year including helicopters, charter flights and a few military aircraft.  He said pilots could still takeoff and land at the smaller airports without ground control, but he added the chance for collisions significantly increases.