WASHINGTON –
U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and
Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today officially announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted its final approval for an Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower at Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK). The ATC tower will cost $4.8 million and will be funded through the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA).
The Frederick Municipal Airport is a reliever airport and is the second busiest airport in Maryland in takeoffs and landings after BWI/Thurgood Marshall in Anne Arundel County. Frederick Municipal Airport currently has in excess of 130,000 annual operations, which are expected to increase to 165,000 by 2025. The Airport currently maintains two runways and handles a diverse mix of aircraft, including single-engine, multi-engine, turbo jets, turbo propeller, helicopters, experimental, gliders and Presidential helicopter Marine One. In recent years, the largest growth segment for the Airport has been in the area of corporate jets.
“Because of its close proximity to Washington, D.C., Camp David and Fort Detrick, the Frederick Municipal Airport has become an important hub in our State’s transportation network,” said
Senator Cardin, a member of the Senate Budget Committee. “The Airport has grown in recent years to handle a wide variety of different types of aircraft and I strongly support an Air Traffic Control tower at Frederick to ensure the safety of passengers and aircraft and to ensure the continued economic growth of the entire region.”
“The Frederick Municipal Airport is an economic engine for the region and it’s one of my top priorities,”
Senator Mikulski said. “An Air Traffic Control tower is essential for safety at every airport and this Recovery Act grant will improve safety at Frederick’s airport, both for the people who work there and for its passengers. I will continue to fight for the Frederick Municipal Airport. It’s about jobs, jobs, jobs in Maryland’s communities.”
Frederick Mayor Randy McClement said: “This is the perfect project. It creates construction jobs while it’s being built, ongoing operational jobs once it’s up, and will provide for the safe and comfortable use of the Frederick Municipal Airport now and into the future.”
There are two flight restriction areas located within a few miles of the Airport. It is expected that an ATC tower at Frederick will serve a larger homeland security role by significantly decreasing the number of intrusions into restricted air space. Construction of the new ATC tower at Frederick is expected to begin almost immediately, with completion expected within 18 months.
