Nov. 18—Terre Haute Regional Airport will soon have around the clock air tower service restored.
The Federal Aviation Administration will resume 24/7 tower operations starting Dec. 6, said Airport Director Jeff Hauser.
"We are really looking forward to that, so that we don't have to put out notices every night closing one runway or the other," Hauser told the airport's board of directors Wednesday.
"Because of the wind, which sometimes comes down the middle, you are putting pilots in a bad situation to try figure out which runway to land on.
"That will really help out anyone who is flying in after normal business hours," Hauser said.
Hauser said the airport has a 24/7 tower, but the FAA reduced the tower hours in late spring amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hauser said the airport contacted the FAA several times for the reinstatement of hours.
Air traffic at the airport had slowed in April and May, but has since resumed to normal use so far this year, he said.
In other issues, an airport wildlife assessment is to start in January and continue to December. The airport was awarded at $50,000 federal grant in September for safety improvements. The study will access wildlife hazards in an effort to reduce any wildlife-aircraft strikes such as from large or small birds.
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