Marana airport’s tower project advances, aiming for safer skies | Local News

MARANA, Ariz. (KVOA) – The Marana Regional Airport is moving closer to obtaining an air traffic control tower, more than five months after a tragic mid-air collision resulted in two fatalities.

News 4 Tucson spoke with Erwin Castillo, a flight instructor who was present on the day of the crash, about the potential impact of a new tower. Castillo referred to the fatal crash as “a tragedy” and believes that the presence of a tower could have prevented the collision.

“Well, it’s going to be a lot more talking, the students are going to have to talk to the tower more, they’re going to learn a lot faster, it’s going to be busy, it’s going to be controlled, it’ll be safer,” Castillo said. “But it’s aviation, we take risks every day when we’re up in the air.”

The airport has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to apply for funding this fall. The FAA would oversee the future tower, a task currently managed by the town of Marana.

The airport has until March 2029 to have the tower operational, Greg Sendlak, project manager for the town of Marana, told reporters Friday. This follows an environmental assessment that found the tower “would not significantly impact the human environment,” according to Marana officials.

“We were elated because we’ve been working on this environmental assessment process for 27 months, and to hear the news that we were finally cleared to proceed with funding for design and construction was very exciting,” Sendlak said.

The airport initially joined the Federal Tower Contract Program in 2019, he said, but the period lapsed before they rejoined in March 2024.

The project is estimated to cost $17 million, with construction expenses accounting for more than $15 million. One federal grant would offer 100 percent reimbursement for the tower’s design, while another would provide more than 90 percent federal reimbursement.

“The growth here at the airport’s going to be great, There’s going to be a lot more jets coming through, it’ll be easier,” Castillo told News 4 Tucson. “They’ll probably build some retail around it, put some hotels, maybe get some famous people in. That’d be kind of neat, huh?”

Federal funding opportunities are anticipated before Sept. 30.