BATTLE CREEK, MI (WTVB) - Officials at Kellogg Field in Battle Creek and  the airport in Muskegon, and 180 other small airports have reportedly been given a week to explain why they should not lose their FAA tower crews. 173 towers will be closed April 7^th and another 16 at the end of September.

 The Federal Aviation Administration says they are being forced to cut costs because of sequestration. Airports with fewer than 150-thousand annual take offs and landings or ten thousand commercial flights are the ones that may be impacted.  Many of those towers are manned by contractors and not F.A.A. personnel.

 Loss of the tower crews wouldn’t necessarily close the airports for use by pilots, but it would greatly reduce the volume of traffic they could handle.