DALARNA, Sweden - Standing tall over pretty much every airport in the world, a reassuring presence reminding us that planes are being guided safely along set paths, is the air traffic control tower. But not at Sweden's new Scandinavian Mountains Airport, writes Maureen O'Hare for CNN. Continue reading original article
The Intelligent Aerospace take:
October 24, 2019-"Virtual towers are coming to the US as part of the NextGen modernization program," David Gillen, a professor at the University of British Columbia told CNN. "They are in place in Scandinavia due to cost, the number of small remote airports and low traffic volumes -- this is not a technology for LaGuardia, O'Hare or Heathrow! It allows a single team to operate a number of remote airports and, in principle, could optimize an airport system."
Thanks to improvements in technology, air traffic controllers will be able to handle arrivals and departures at smaller airports remotely. Gillen says he predicts remote ATC be adopted more and more, especially as e-VTOL aircraft become a part of the mainstream.
Related: U.S. shutdown may have done lasting damage to air traffic control
Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace
