London City is the first major airport controlled
by the remote digital tower
The UK's closest airport to the city of London has become the first major international airport in the world to be fully controlled by a remote digital air traffic control tower!
Plans and preparation have been ongoing for a long time, at least since 2019, and during the pandemic lockdown, intensive testing and live trials of the revolutionary technology has afforded London City Airport to start operations with the remote tower. Now aircraft coming in and going out of London City are being directed by a team of controllers some 70 miles /115kms away in Swanwick, which is where NATS’ air traffic control centre is located.
Whilst remote towers and controllers have been in operation for a number of years at some military airfields, this is the first time such technology has been used at a major commercial international airport. At London City, you'll find a state-of-the-art 50m digital tower, plus a number of high-quality cameras, I think sixteen or so as well sensors to capture a full 360-degree view of the docklands airport.
Super-fast fibre connections take what is happening at the airfield to NATS’ air traffic control centre in Swanwick where a dedicated team of controllers use the live footage, an audio feed from the airfield, along with radar information to instruct aircraft movements in and out of the airport.
The live feed is transmitted through an independent secure fibre network and is brought to life on 14 HD screens in the control room, providing a panoramic moving image. They can then overlay these images with digital data to provide an ‘enhanced reality’ view.
Information such as call signs, altitude and speed of all aircraft approaching and leaving the airport, weather readings and the ability to track moving objects can all be included in this single visual display. The pan-tilt-zoom cameras can magnify images up to 30 times for close inspection.
The 30-year-old analogue tower is set to be redeveloped as part of the airport’s modernisation programme, now the new tower is operational and is part of a multi-million-pound investment in the proven remote digital technology marks a major milestone in City Airport’s investment in its future, following the completion of new aircraft stands and a full-length parallel taxiway which became operational in December 2020.
Alison FitzGerald, Chief Operating Officer at London City Airport, said: "We are immensely proud to become the first major international airport to adopt this pioneering technology. This investment in smart infrastructure will help us meet future growth in passenger demand, improve air traffic management and give us enhanced capability as aviation bounces back from the pandemic. It is also a demonstration of the commitment to innovation in the UK aviation sector and to being at the forefront of defining the future of flight. Since going operational at the end of January, the technology has worked really well and is ready for the expected increase in demand for flights as Brits book their well-deserved summer getaways."
Juliet Kennedy, Operations Director at NATS, said: "This is the UK’s first major digital control tower and represents a significant technological and operational achievement, especially against the backdrop of COVID-19. Digital tower technology tears up a blueprint that’s remained largely unchanged for 100 years, allowing us to safely manage aircraft from almost anywhere while providing our controllers with valuable new tools that would be impossible in a traditional control tower."
The technology was pioneered by Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions, which has successfully tried and tested the system at Örnsköldsvik and Sundsvall airports in Sweden. Magnus Lewis-Olsson, Chairman and President of Saab UK, commented: "This is an important milestone for Saab in the implementation of remote air traffic solutions at major civil aerospace hubs with dense traffic in a complex airspace. We look forward to seeing the technology take off at London City Airport, giving controllers new tools and safety features which demonstrate the benefits Digital Towers can bring."
London City Airport may have started this project for cost-saving reasons, but now it has developed far beyond that and looks set to become a model for others to follow. Of course, there has been much media attention, including one national newspaper, according to staff, sending tech bods to docklands to try and hack the system, so there will be lots of eyes watching how well the ultimate in remote control performs in normal - or close to normal operations after the middle of the month when a lot of travel restrictions are relaxed.
I suppose at the end of the day, the only thing that really matters are the following two questions, is it safe? Will passengers accept it? Whilst I had not a single doubt about its safety, so many contingencies and redundancies have been built into the system to allay any safety concerns. Whether passenger accept it is yet to be discovered, but I'd wager that more than 80% will neither know nor care their aircraft is being directed remotely, the other 20% will be a bit avgeeky like me and will positively relish the knowledge and experience.
(All photos London City Airport)
