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Privatefirm tapped to take over aiport control tower
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Posted on Jul 02 1999
SERCO, a private contractor based in California, is set to takeover the operations of Saipan International Airport Control Tower on October 1, 1999, according to Carlos H. Salas, executive director of the Commonwealth Ports Authority.
Saipan has been chosen by the Federal Aviation Administration as one of the areas under its jurisdiction to be covered by the Federal Control Tower Program, a move which would save the ports authority some $600,000 in yearly operations expenses.
“We are really very fortunate that FAA has stepped in to provide the funding to pay the contractor and run it,” said Salas.
SERCO is the private contractor hired by FAA for the Western Pacific Region. It is currently running the Control Towers in Hawaii, Guam and some airports in California.
Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio met last Tuesday with Willie Card, FAA nationwide manager for the Control Tower from Washington D.C., and Steve Bernstein, overall manager of SERCO.
The nine Control Tower employees will be absorbed by SERCO and are assured to receive higher salaries plus benefits, including insurance. They would have the chance to be assigned to other airports manned by the company.
“They are young and adventurous, the career opportunity is there that is rarely available to all of us. Our situation is unique because we are the owners and operators of the Tower so this is a very unusual situation which needs special arrangement,” said Salas. CPA will have to look for other positions for CPA employees who chose not to join SERCO.
The Saipan tower was commissioned using local Saipan residents as controllers, who underwent rigorous training until they were certified in the Western-Pacific region in early February 1995.
Salas said the fact that locals are performing the air tower control duties generated a great deal of pride on the island as FAA evaluators have given the facility high marks since its commissioning.
