Salt Lake might control Boise air traffic

BOISE, Idaho — The Federal Aviation Administration says moving part of Boise's air traffic control system to Salt Lake City would save taxpayers nearly $24 million — about 10 times the amount initially estimated.

During a public hearing Wednesday at the Boise airport, FAA officials told Idaho's congressional delegation they would provide more detailed information on the possible savings next week, but that they estimate moving the airport's Terminal Radar Approach Control system would save $23.5 million over 25 years.

The FAA had previously estimated the move would save just $2.5 million during that period.

The move would mean that air traffic controllers in Salt Lake City would be helping pilots come in for landings at the Boise airport. FAA officials said the consolidation in Boise and other sites around the nation is needed because the agency is already $600 million short of the money it needs to complete other scheduled projects.

"It just makes good business sense," said Bruce Johnson, FAA vice president for the air traffic organization's terminal services.

But pilots and Idaho lawmakers have spoken out against the idea, saying the move could compromise safety in exchange for relatively paltry savings. Members of Idaho's congressional delegation expressed frustration over what they said was the FAA's failure to provide a detailed cost analysis of the move.

At the end of meeting, U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said he's prepared to take legislative action if the details of the FAA's cost analysis do not provide a rationale for relocating Boise's system.

Salt Lake City International Airport executive director Roy Williams said the decision would have no significant effect on Utah's largest airport. At most, he said, it could mean the addition of a handful of FAA jobs, which would be relocated from Boise to Salt Lake City.

"It does not impact the service delivery or the safety of Salt Lake City International Airport," Williams said Friday. "It really is an issue for the FAA and also for the community up in Boise, which is probably concerned about the jobs and those impacts. It does not have an impact on our operations, so it's not an issue for us."

Williams said the FAA is simply looking to consolidate its on-route centers, which track aircraft as they travel from one airport to the next, in order to save money. That type of work can be done from anywhere, he said.