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Idaho Airport to Use Instrument Landing System Rather than GPS

The FAA decided to let the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport install a new Instrument Landing System as part of its runway realignment project after ordering the airport to use a GPS-based system in July.

(TNS) -- The Federal Aviation Administration agreed Sunday to allow the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport to install a traditional Instrument Landing System as part of the airport's runway realignment project.

The decision comes after the FAA had ordered the airport to use a GPS-based system in July.

The July order to use a GPS-based system had irked local city and airport officials who said a promise to allow the airport to use an ILS had been changed midway through.

"Aircraft don't have the technology in the cockpit," Airport Executive Director Tony Bean said in July. "They aren't there yet. We would have a system installed that provides a capability that no one can use, for however long."

Bryan Watt, press secretary for U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said the senator had fought behind the scenes to ensure the airport was not forced to use the GPS-based system. Watt said the system would have cost $100,000 annually to maintain and would have restricted traffic at the airport since many aircraft are not equipped with the system.

"The FAA's decision today to install a new Instrument Landing System as part of Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport's runway realignment project is a major win for the region's economy and its flyers," Cantwell said. "Increased access for commercial service and business aviation is key to the region's ability to attract more employers with more well-paying jobs. The ILS will give the airport an opportunity to attract new services from a wider range of carriers, and it means that business and private aircraft will enjoy the full benefits of the project."

©2017 the Moscow-Pullman Daily News (Moscow, Idaho) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.