Will Study Feasibility Of Remote Tower Services For Digital ATC At Smaller Airports

Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions AB and Storuman Municipality have signed a letter of intent regarding the establishment of the world's first Remote Tower Center for smaller regional airports (AFIS).

The letter of intent means that Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions and Storuman Municipality will initiate a feasibility study aimed at establishing a ”Remote AFIS Centre” for remote tower services and digital air traffic control services for smaller regional airports. The development of the technology and methodology will initially be carried out at Hemavan Tärnaby Airport, with the objective of expanding the dialogue to several other airports.

"Interest is growing in digital air traffic solutions for all types of airports owing to requirements for increased safety, greater flexibility and reduced costs. Storuman Municipality is a good partner with solid conditions for establishing the world's first Remote AFIS Center," says Johan Klintberg, CEO of Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions.

Remote tower services help airports to create better conditions in order to ensure that many municipalities have access to infrastructure, which benefits regional development and allows for a vibrant economy across Sweden. Remote tower services and the digital technology also follow societal development and create flexible, effective and safe aviation services.

"It pleases me that Storuman Municipality is an important resource in developing solutions for regional airports. We consider this to be a strategic investment in which we, together with other airports, are able to contribute to societal development. At the same time, we recognise that this is of great benefit to our own airport, Hemavan Tärnaby Airport," says Tomas Mörtsell, Chair of Storuman Municipal Council.

Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions is jointly-owned by Saab and LFV, and was founded in June 2016. By combining LFV's unique operational experience with Saab's technical solutions, Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions is able to provide an entire process from planning and implementation to the administration of remote tower services.

Remote tower services and digital solutions are a breakthrough within air traffic control. In 2015, the airports in Örnsköldsvik and Sundsvall became the first in the world to be controlled via Remote Tower Centre (RTC) in Sundsvall. And Linköping Airport will follow suit and become the third remotely-controlled airport in 2017. In December 2016, a letter of intent was signed with Scandinavian Mountains Airport AB to provide services for remote air traffic control to the first airport in the world built without a conventional control tower.

London City Airport and NATS have chosen Saab as the technology provider for a test installation to remotely control London City Airport. Successful test installations have also been implemented in Australia, the USA, the Netherlands, Norway and Ireland in diverse environments and at various distances.

(Image provided with Saab news release)

FMI: saabgroup.com