I was under the impression that the only towers the FAA has ever contracted out are "VFR only" Class D towers, meaning tower-only facilities that do not run their own approach controls (though they may or may not have a radar feed from the overlying approach). I was reading Against the Wind, the NATCA history book written in 2002, and a footnote mentioned a court case where it was decided that Class D VFR towers are "inherently commercial" and can be contracted out, unlike higher-level and/or radar-associated towers which were inherently governmental, I guess.
But I discovered that Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA), a Class C airport, has a contract run-tower! The chart supplement remarks say Midwest has the contract; the FAA's contract tower map says RVA. In either case, it is not an FAA-run tower, despite being at a Class C airport.
How did this come to be? Did the FAA get an exception from the court ruling? Did NATCA fight the contracting or accept it? Does the FAA have plans to do this at other Class C towers? Are there any other Class C contract towers?
But I discovered that Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA), a Class C airport, has a contract run-tower! The chart supplement remarks say Midwest has the contract; the FAA's contract tower map says RVA. In either case, it is not an FAA-run tower, despite being at a Class C airport.
How did this come to be? Did the FAA get an exception from the court ruling? Did NATCA fight the contracting or accept it? Does the FAA have plans to do this at other Class C towers? Are there any other Class C contract towers?