Atlanta air hub may affect Southeast flights

Atlanta and Chicago, the nation’s busiest pair of airports, may have to close runways and limit arriving flights if automatic budget cuts place air-traffic controllers on furlough beginning March 1, Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta told the House aviation subcommittee Feb. 27. Huerta forecasted that, along with the Houston airport, runways would likely have to be limited thereby reducing hourly flight arrivals by 37 percent. Republicans said the FAA could find other ways to move funds in its budget. Earlier this month, the FAA said it may have to close more than 200 FAA towers. Among the 200 sites mentioned, the FAA listed at least seven Mississippi airports - Golden Triangle Regional Airport at Columbus, Jackson’s Hawkins Field, Meridian’s Key Field, Tupelo Regional and the Olive Branch Airport. Source: Bloomberg News Service, Feb. 27, 2012.