Augusta aviation officials say they have made their peace with a proposal to allow military aircraft training at low altitudes over the region. However, the plan still faces critics opposed to the noise and negative economic impact they say the change could bring.

Several weeks ago, the public had its last chance to comment on Shaw Air Force Base plans to expand operations into air space used by facilities in Augusta, Swainsboro and Millen. Shaw is located near Sumter, S.C., about 100 miles from Augusta.

The proposal will drop the so-called Bulldog operations area floor, or MOA, from 11,000 to 500 feet in some places.

Military officials maintain the drop is necessary to accommodate training for modern fighter aircraft.

Critics, however, contend that the change would make it difficult for civilian aircraft to make instrument landings because they would be required to get clearance from air traffic controllers in Atlanta -- leading to traffic jams in the skies above their airports.

The president of the Swainsboro/Emanuel County Joint Development Authority, Andy Riley, said he's worried the millions of dollars spent on improvements to the Swainsboro Emanuel County Airport could be worthless if the airspace changes go into effect. He said planes flying into the airport would have to wait to land if the MOA was "hot," meaning in use by military aircraft.

"It makes it very difficult to do regularly scheduled flights in and out of our airport if you're having to wait 20 minutes when you get close to get permission," Mr. Riley said. "Millions of dollars have been invested in improving our airport and yet, this is going to make it very difficult to use our airport."

It's the same issue Augusta Regional Airport officials had with the plan when Air Force officials began looking at expanding their airspace in 2004. Since then, officials say they have worked out an agreement that would remove the Augusta area from the proposal, according to Art Byers, the airspace manager for Shaw Air Force Base.

"We excluded that portion of the shelf area that would affect their operations," Mr. Byers said. "The proposal is really no longer a factor for Augusta."

Diane Johnston, Augusta Regional Airport's marketing director, said through a series of joint meetings with the Federal Aviation Administration and Shaw Air Force base, they were able to get the path changed.

That is exactly what Ken Warnock, chairman of the Swainsboro/Emanuel County Airport Commission, wants to do.

His time however, is running short.

Mr. Warnock said he attended this fall's public meeting and wants the Air Force and the FAA to completely exclude his airport's airspace. He said the changes, and the delays they would ultimately cause to civilian aircraft, will hurt commerce in his county. Already, it has delayed negotiations with FedEx to open a distribution center at the airport.

"They've told us if the MOA shelf gets dropped to 500 feet: 'We're not interested in Swainsboro because we cannot run the risk of those delays in and out of Swainsboro,' " he said.

The FAA is reviewing the requests but has yet to set a date when the decision on the airspace will be made.