The Teterboro Airport Industry Working Group has asked FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt to increase the priority for construction of a new Air Traffic Control Tower at Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey. The current control tower at TEB was built in the early 1970s as a temporary facility and does not provide controllers an unobstructed view of vital areas of the field, according to members of the group.
“In terms of air safety, ensuring that tower controllers have an unobstructed view and the latest technology and equipment is vital,” said James Coyne, president of the National Air Transportation Association and a member of the group. “Teterboro Airport is the nation’s busiest general aviation airport, and Teterboro controllers need a new tower to continue to control the flow of air traffic safely.”
The letter notes that in recent years the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has invested nearly $100 million on a variety of safety improvement projects at TEB, including new taxiways, lighting improvements, and the installation of a new Engineered Material Arresting System. Despite repeated requests that a new tower for TEB be placed on the FAA’s Capital Plan priority list, the project still remains a low priority for the agency, group members said, noting they hope that bringing the issue to the attention of the administrator will help make a new tower a priority for the FAA.
In 2006, the Teterboro Airport Industry Working Group assembled a diverse group of aviation industry professionals, including experienced aviation experts representing TEB’s FBOs, airport users and tenants, and national and local aviation industry associations, to offer practical and workable solutions for TEB.
