Fight to Retain Funding: Esty on Mission at Local Airport

DANBURY -- U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty stressed the importance of local airports and their impact on the surrounding economy Thursday during a visit to the Danbury Municipal Airport. She vowed to do what she can to keep local airports open.

Esty, who was recently appointed to a congressional subcommittee on aviation, said she hopes to keep the funding for the towers in place as budget talks loom on the horizon. The congresswoman visited the tower at Danbury Airport, she said, to gather information to use in the fight to retain the funding.

"It's foolish when we want to rebuild our economy to cut some of these core areas that spur economic growth," Esty said.

Earlier this year, officials with the Federal Aviation Administration threatened to close 149 towers, including the one located in Danbury, as a result of the federal sequestration.

While not always easily quantifiable, Michael Safranek, the airport's assistant administrator, stressed that the facility and others like it serve as economic engines for the region. A recent study completed at the Oxford Airport, which has less traffic than Danbury Airport, showed it helps to create tens of millions in economic activity for the surrounding area.

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