Commerical operations into airports without an ATC tower
 

As a result of the budget sequester, the US FAA is planning on shutting down about 170 ATC towers in the US. A number of these towers serve airports with commercial traffic. My question is this, will a major commercial airline continue to fly into an airport that lacks ATC supervision? Does this depend on whether conditions are VFR or IFR? I may not be phrasing my question correctly, if so, I apologize.

There are already many airports without controllers, some have Flight Information Service (in Canada at least).

The pilots will have to initiate air-to-air communication and separate themselves.
Terrific move by the Feds. In IFR weather, they might have to wait for approach clearance from the En-Route facility further increasing that controller's workload, and in VFR, it can be see and be seen.

While I know it is certainly feasible for ops to continue, my question is whether major commercial passenger airline safety procedures support scheduled service into such airports.

Australia is a pretty good example of such things happening. For instance take the small-ish town of Kununurra in Western Australia, it is serviced by by 2 operators Air North and Skywest and has no Tower service there. It also used to have a significant amount of Charter and Scenic Flights which came and went.

Broome used to be a bit of an odd one as well up until a few years ago when it gained a tower. Previously it had a CAGR (Certified Aviation Ground Radio) which was an Information Service.

In Vanuatu there's an Airport called Santo/Luganville, it services domestic/international and has a Flight Information Service there as well who are fond of the phrase "Runway is Clear" as aircraft make their final approach!!

So I see no reason why they would not continue services into most so long as their "Risk Department" decide that the amount of traffic in and out of the proposed aerodrome poses no more significant risk than in controlled airspace.

Norfolk Island was similar when I was there a few years ago. Inbound aircraft would call for airfield information and a little while later it would taxy in. "ATC" had no clear view of the airfield.

Ixixly,
Try YAYE on for size!

BBC News - FAA to close 149 air traffic towers as budget cuts bite

How many UK airports could reduce their costs by doing the same? Balckpool? Cardiff? Inverness? Doncaster? Dundee? Derry?
bb