Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Dedicates John S. McCain III Air Traffic Control Tower

On August 23, 2022, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (Airport, Gateway Airport) dedicated its new $30MM Air Traffic Control Tower (Tower, ATCT), naming it after the late United States Senator from Arizona John S. McCain III. The new Tower will officially enter into service on August 27, 2022.

Gateway Airport’s current ATCT is too short, and its cab too small, to efficiently handle aircraft operations at the growing Airport. Efforts to construct a new Tower began nearly a decade ago and required a change in federal law before the Airport could move forward with the project. The late Senator McCain and Arizona’s Congressional Delegation were instrumental in efforts to remove the $2MM federal funding cap for the construction of contract air traffic control towers.

Gateway Airport’s new Tower is 199 feet tall (60% taller than the existing Tower), and its cab is 550 square feet (twice as large as the existing Tower) with eight controller positions. The project took 18 months to complete.

"Completion of the John S. McCain III Air Traffic Control Tower is the culmination of years of hard work and determination by our local, state, and federal leaders," said Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson, Chair of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority. "This bipartisan effort will help Gateway Airport continue to grow and create high-wage jobs across greater Phoenix."

"We are grateful for the U.S. Senators and Representatives that worked tirelessly over several years to enable federal funding for this critical airfield infrastructure project," said Airport Director J. Brian O'Neill, A.A.E. "Gateway Airport plays an important role in Arizona’s air transportation system and now contributes more than $1.8 billion each year to the regional economy."