San Carlos Airport, which is along the flight approach to San Francisco International Airport, will be without air traffic controllers starting Friday due to a contract dispute over housing allowances.
The crisis emerged after Robinson Aviation, or RVA, won the Federal Aviation Administration contract for the airport over longtime provider Serco but declined to match the $18,000 housing stipend controllers receive to offset Bay Area living costs. The FAA and RVA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“RVA offered a match for hourly pay but did not provide for a stipend for [housing],” said Davi Howard, San Mateo County airport spokesman and former air traffic controller. “The controllers turned down the offer.”
By 12:22 p.m. Thursday, after publication of this article, San Carlos Airport officials said they were close to finalizing a new agreement with air traffic controllers.
“We are optimistic that there will be no disruption in air traffic operations at San Carlos Airport. As a contingency, RVA is preparing to bring in controllers from other towers across the country to prevent an ATC-Zero (unstaffed tower) situation on Saturday,” the statement said.
Gretchen Kelly, manager of San Mateo County’s airports, shared this optimism.
“Given these measures, we do not anticipate any lapse in air traffic control services on February 1st,” Kelly said in an email Thursday afternoon, referring to the contingency plan.
The staffing gap puts pressure on one of the region’s busiest general aviation facilities, located 10 miles from SFO.
The news came to light after Wednesday’s airplane crash with a military helicopter in Washington, D.C. The midair collision killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft, officials said Thursday, as they scrutinized the actions of the military pilot and reported that control tower staffing was “not normal” at the time of the country’s worst aviation disaster in a generation.
“San Carlos Airport is a very important part of our aviation industry. … We are very close to SFO. Our airport is essential,” Howard noted.
Airport manager Gretchen Kelly said officials requested temporary FAA staffing — a solution being used at Eagle Airport in Colorado during a similar transition — but were denied. The airport is working with Rep. Kevin Mullin’s office to push the FAA to maintain air traffic services.
The tower staff, comprising controllers who came out of retirement to serve the facility, will work their final shift Friday.
“These are seasoned skilled ATCs that have been around this field. [They are] all retired from FAA and came back to help us maintain a very vital facility,” Howard said.
The airport will remain open without tower operations, with pilots required to coordinate their own movements. Officials are exploring options to either return tower operations to Serco or secure FAA staffing.
Howard said the airport is popular with Silicon Valley residents, not just those who can afford private planes but also fledgling pilots who take classes there.
“It’s very popular with folks down there, as well as the Peninsula and San Francisco,” Howard said.