Budget cuts to close tower at Concord airport

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Officials say they've been advised that federal funding for the control tower at Concord Regional Airport is being eliminated, a move that could impact the NASCAR teams that rely on the facility.

The Federal Aviation Administration notified Concord on Tuesday that it would lose funding "in the near future."

The decision is a result of the federal sequestration, a series of budget cuts which went into effect automatically March 1 after Democrats and Republicans failed to reach agreement on how to trim federal spending.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Concord officials said the airport could lose all 737 charter flights each year, most of which involve NASCAR teams. Some tenants at Concord, including major race teams, have operating restrictions that only allow them to use tower controlled airports.