By Kristin Leigh Painter
The cuts could result in longer security lines and fewer flights at Denver International Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration anticipates that $1 billion of its $15.8 billion budget will be lopped off in the cuts.
“Think about what this does for agencies like TSA, customs and border control,” said Marion Blakely, president and chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association and a former FAA administrator.
A study by the association said cuts to FAA operations could mean a loss of up to 132,000 aviation jobs and a reduction of $80 billion each year from the national GDP.
Cuts also would slow the rollout and increase the cost of the Next Generation Air Traffic Control System, a satellite-based replacement to the current system.
DIA is finishing implementation of a major component in NextGen’s system next week and is running full-throttle on its new South Terminal construction project.
“We’ve got a project at DIA right now, the largest in the city since we built DIA, that could be threatened,” said Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_22093932/fiscal-cliff-how-colorado-aviation-will-be-affected