To verify whether FAA chose the most cost-effective option for providing radar approach control to the Grand Junction airport, we performed an independent cost analysis of FAA’s 1995 study. When these factors are considered, FAA’s total projected savings attributable to remoting and contracting out the tower operation at Grand Junction are reduced by about $500,000, from $5.9 million to $5.4 million. Radar Remoting and Contract Towers Are Safe and Efficient

The representatives of the city of Grand Junction expressed concern that by remoting the radar signal to Denver and by contracting out a tower’s operation, FAA jeopardizes the safety and the efficiency of the air traffic control system at the Grand Junction airport. In both the Grand Junction and the Yakima projects, FAA took a relatively ad hoc approach in deciding whether to remote radar data. In both cases, our review showed that while FAA chose the most cost-effective option, it did not include all relevant cost factors in its savings computation and did little to communicate the rationale for its decision to the affected communities, thereby contributing to subsequent misperceptions by community representatives. However, this approach has led to the agency’s omitting certain telecommunications costs and not reflecting the more realistic scenarios for staffing facilities and has raised concerns in the affected communities. Nevertheless, FAA recognized that improvements can be made in its decision-making process.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) whether the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chose the most cost-effective option for handling radar-based air traffic control activities at the Grand Junction, Colorado, airport; (2) whether the safety and efficiency of the air traffic control system would be compromised by remoting radar data and contracting out tower operations at Grand Junction; and (3) what can be done to improve the FAA process for determining when and where to remote radar data.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) it agreed with the FAA determination that remoting the Grand Junction radar signal to a terminal radar approach control (TRACON) facility in Denver is the most cost-effective option for handling radar data from the site; (2) the FAA 20-year projected savings attributable to the remote option should be reduced by about $500,000, from $5.9 million to $5.4 million, since FAA overlooked certain telecommunications costs and did not utilize more realistic staffing scenarios; (3) GAO analysis of the available data disclosed no valid concerns about the safety and efficiency of remoting radar data or contracting out a tower's operation; (4) the FAA process for deciding when and where to remote radar signals was generally sound, but relatively ad hoc; and (5) a formal methodology for making such decisions would have helped FAA to ensure that all relevant factors were properly considered and communicate to the affected communities how its decision was made.