MONTEREY - A crucial part of airport operations could shut down some smaller airports across the nation, including the Monterey Peninsula Airport.
Air traffic control towers are basically the eyes on the ground, making sure people are safe in the air.
Federal Aviation Administration budget issues could force air traffic controllers out of their towers for good.
As many as 106 airports could lose the service.
According to the Center for American Progress Analysis, cuts effective Jan. 2 will slash $1.35 billion from the FAA.
"It is to ensure the safe arrival and departure controlling the air space around the airport," said Tom Greer, general manager for the Monterey Peninsula Airport.
Greer said air traffic controllers are important.
The tower is the local agency overlooking the radar that tells controllers where airplanes are and how high and fast they're going.
That means when there's an emergency, it can communicate effectively with the plane.
But now, the FAA might be getting rid of these controllers at small airports.
On Tuesday, an American Eagle plane had to make an emergency landing because of a technical malfunction.
All 32 passengers were ok.
If there wasn't anyone inside of tower, Greer said the airport probably couldn't escape the dangers it did.
"We wouldn't have had the emergency responders in place, in position to respond to the aircraft," he said.
He said there is still a larger regional agency that overlooks plane flight patterns in the entire northern part of the state.
But, they're not local, so he said it could impact communication during an emergency, like Tuesday's incident.
"Safety would have been compromised had we not have the tower here," he said.
The FAA said by cutting air traffic service at smaller airports it would have the least impact on travelers since more people fly at some of the major airports.
