david sanders / Arizona Daily Star 2001

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Today, the control tower at Tucson International Airport celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The tower is one of the oldest in the region and among Western airports, interviews and federal data show.

The Tucson Airport Authority opened the 11-story, $535,000 tower in October 1958. Then, as now, it sports a neon, vertical "TUCSON" sign that still welcomes passengers as they fly into the Old Pueblo.

Air-traffic controllers have long said that the tower is plagued by visibility and communications problems, but the Federal Aviation Administration says it is adequate and has a proven safety record.

Either way, an FAA spokesman said the Tucson tower — the 37th-oldest in the country — is not on a list to be replaced.