FAA won't eliminate Bangor overnight shift

BANGOR, Maine (AP) -- The Federal Aviation Administration has decided that it won't eliminate the overnight air traffic control shift at Bangor International Airport.

The FAA announced Wednesday that more than 70 towers, including the one in Bangor, that were slated to close at night due to budget cuts will get to stay open.

Maine's congressional delegation said maintaining Bangor's air traffic control tower through the overnight hours is important because of the airport's national significance to both civilian and military aviation. Bangor is designated as a diversion airport of critical importance because it's the first major American airport encountered by planes approaching the U.S. from the East, and the last for planes heading west toward Europe.