Extends Contract Through The End Of The Fiscal Year

Saying it needs to get "more stakeholder input" on contract weather monitoring at 121 airports, the FAA said Wednesday that it plans to delay cancelling contracts with weather observers at those facilities and transferring the duties to air traffic controllers. The contracts have been extended through September 30, the end of the fiscal year.

The Washington Post reports on its "Capital Weather Gang" blog that the FAA had planned to begin terminating the contract weather observers on May 1, with the function completely taken over at the 121 airports by air traffic controllers by the end of August. Weather observers at 21 other airports would be replaced "in the future," according to the FAA's published plan.

Now, the agency says it wants to receive additional input from stakeholders, and will not consider terminating the contracts this fiscal year.

Still, the blog reports that the agency has begun training air traffic controllers in weather observation techniques, saying that controllers already perform this function at over 300 airports nationwide.

FMI: www.faa.gov