BANGOR, (AP) – The Federal Aviation Administration has followed through with plans to eliminate nearly 30 jobs at the Bangor International Airport as part of its initiative to privatize many flight service stations across the country.

Employees in Bangor were notified a week ago that they will lose their jobs effective Oct. 4. The station will shut down entirely by next spring.

The FAA plans to save $2.2 billion over the next decade through new technology and upgrades to improve efficiency of automated flight service stations, which provide support services such as weather updates, route planning and air space information.

In Bangor, the flight station staff fears the decision will compromise safety. They say their personal knowledge of the area’s weather patterns and topography is crucial to safe air travel and that relying on automated information will put pilots at risk.

“People are going to die,” said Bill Moriarty, operations manager at the station. “That’s the cold, hard truth. Accidents are going to go up.”

The FAA in February announced its $1.9 billion five-year contract with Lockheed Martin to make technological upgrades that will enable Lockheed to consolidate the number of stations from the current 58 to approximately 20.

“We believe the system will be far more efficient and also will assure safe skies,” Lockheed spokesman Joe Wagovich said.

Bangor International Airport officials are taking a wait-and-see approach, hoping that Lockheed’s services will measure up, while keeping in mind that the FAA has said the changeover will have minimal impact on airport operations.

“We will be watching closely to see if Lockheed Martin can deliver everything they’ve promised,” said Rebecca Hupp, airport director.

Of the roughly 2,300 employees nationwide affected by the consolidation, 96 percent have accepted offers at either the three planned flight services hubs or elsewhere at Lockheed Martin, Wagovich said.

But Moriarty said only 350 of those jobs are at the flight service hubs, where air traffic controllers can continue doing the jobs they are trained to do.

Of the 27 air traffic controllers and two administrators employed at the Bangor station, seven have been offered jobs with Lockheed Martin at planned flight services hubs in Leesburg, Va., Fort Worth, Texas, and Prescott, Ariz., he said.