San Carlos Airport will keep its air traffic control tower staffed beyond a Saturday deadline that would have forced the airport to operate without a tower.
Controllers at the small airport, which is owned by San Mateo County and is about 20 miles south of downtown San Francisco, had faced a looming deadline to agree to a contract with a new company.
The Federal Aviation Administration agreed to the contract with a new company, Robinson Aviation, to operate the tower, but controllers balked at an initial offer, which was lower than the previous contractor, Serco.
"To maintain the continuity of air traffic control services at San Carlos Airport, we are extending the prior service provider, Serco, for 60 days," the FAA said in a statement.
The county said in a Facebook post that it was thankful for the decision.
"We appreciate the collaboration of all stakeholders in reaching this outcome and remain committed to monitoring and supporting long-term solutions for the airport's operational needs," the county's statement said.
The decision on Friday to keep the tower staffed amid the impasse came two days after a deadly mid-air crash between a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet that killed all 67 people involved.
Local
In a separate aviation crash, a medevac Learjet 55 crashed in Philadelphia on Friday, killing seven people.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating both crashes.
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