London City Airport (LCY) will be the first in the UK to have its air traffic control (ATC) functions controlled remotely.
From 2019, control of aircraft using the airport will be handled from 70 miles away at the Swanwick, Hampshire HQ of the UK’s air navigation service provider, NATS. Controllers there will use 360-degree high-definition cameras and sensors mounted on a newly constructed ATC tower at LCY.
A live feed with a panoramic view of the airfield will be sent via secure fiber connections to a new NATS control room at Swanwick.
The new tower will be developed by Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions of Sweden. Several airports in Sweden are already remotely controlled in this way.