Aviation History Was Made When The Remote Tower Center In Bodo, Norway Went 'Live' On October 19

The Remote Towers project in Norway is a collaboration between the airport and air navigation service provider Avinor and the technology companies Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Indra.

"After many years of planning, developing and testing, the new technology has been successfully used within a regular commercial air traffic service with passengers. The remote towers technology is an important capability enabling a sustainable aviation service in the rural areas of Norway, many of which are in the Arctic. The Remote Towers technology is also dimensioned for large airports. It also provides us with the opportunity to build a robust knowledge hub for tower operators, which today are stationed in small towers in rural communities. When fully rolled out the Remote Towers will ensure more cost-effective airport operations and better accessibility to regional airports," says Avinor CEO, Mr. Dag Falk-Petersen.

An absolute requirement before getting the final approval from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority is that the Remote Towers technology can provide equal or better safety standards compared to conventional towers at airports. The system has now received its first stamp of approval.

"Safety is always the highest priority within aviation. While we are still technically in a test mode, the first commercial passenger flight completed marks an important milestone for us. We had good contact and visuals with the aircraft during the entire approach and landing. The Remote Tower system functioned optimally in this operation. We have had a close dialogue with the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authorities since the beginning of this project, which has been important when introducing new technology into such a safety orientated industry," says Jan Østby, Project Director for Remote Towers at Avinor Air Navigation Services.

Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace and Indra Navia delivered technology that Avinor Air Navigation Services has used for the first time.

Avinor is also currently building the World’s largest Remote Tower Center in Bodø, Norway which is due to open in the second half of 2020. This will accommodate 15 airports by 2022.

(Image provided with Kongsberg Gruppen news release)

FMI: www.kongsberg.com