London City Airport is set to become the first British airport to
install a remotely operated digital air traffic control system, breaking
with the century-long tradition of manned control towers.
The
airport is aiming to become the first major hub in the world to manage
its traffic remotely. The new 50-metre control tower currently being
built at the airport will host HD screens, instead of air traffic
controllers.
Instead of sitting in the tower overlooking the Docklands's skyline
in east London, controllers will be 80 miles away, in a digital control
room at NATS, the UK's national air traffic control service, in
Swanwick, Hampshire.
From here they will monitor the runways at
London City Airport via live footage coming to them through 14 high
definition cameras, providing a 360-degree view of the airport. Two of
the cameras will also be able to zoom, pan and tilt as needed.
The
360-degree view has been condensed into a 225-degree arc, meaning that
controllers can effectively see what is behind them, while the cameras
will also provide live audio from the airfield.
The system, which has been developed by Swedish
defence firm Saab, will be completed next year and will be fully tested
before becoming operational in 2019 as part of a £350m investment to improve the hub.
The
new technology will also go a long way in simplifying how controllers
access data relative to the plane they are controlling. Information
which occupies a number of screens in a traditional control tower will
instead overlay the live feed, allowing controllers to see all the
identifying flight information and radar information.
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