The Digital transformation in the Air Traffic Control Tower

LFV has gained extensive experience in this project starting from 2015 becoming the leader in this field. Which towers are currently operational, and which are planned in Sweden?

Operational today are Örnsköldsvik (since April 2015) and Sundsvall (since December 2017). Scandinavian Mountains Airport and Linköping are closest in the pipeline. The next airports will be the four Swedavia airports Kiruna, Umeå, Östersund and Malmö.
Additional airports are currently procuding ATS services and we hope more and more regional airports will take the digital route, says Henrik Sjöberg, Programme Manager for LFV’s RTS programme.

How many movements per day are the remote TWR’s handling?

RTC Sundsvall handles approximately 7 000 movements/year as of today but the capacity is significantly higher. The capacity is in general not a constraining factor for the operations.

What are the operational benefits you have experienced in air traffic management from a remote TWR location?

We see a better working environment with a more “team work like” work compared to a single tower. The air traffic controllers will never work alone in the central and there is always operational support available, says Henrik Sjöberg.

In addition to that RTS means increased situational awareness thanks to the use of digital support systems and the path to additional unit endorsements is shorter because the same technology is used for every airport. Dynamic adjustments of airports opening hours and to manage ad hoc situations will be easier.

Which benefit did you experience in handling more remote TWR’s from a single remote TWR center?

Flexibility and personnel that can support several airports, dual certificates that are used operationally every week, better work and social environment and a larger total ATS capacity in a larger joint organization

How will the Remote TWR approach address the sharp increase in traffic in 2030 when estimated flights will increase to 17 million a year? Will remote towers be able to maintain the highest safety standards while minimizing flight delays and cancellations?

Safety always comes first. RTS does not in any way mean a lower safety level. RTS complies with all applicable safety standards just like a traditional tower operation. A traditional tower faces the same challenges as RTC when it comes to increased traffic, there is no difference in that regard, says Henrik Sjöberg.

How complex is the digital transformation of the TWR activity for the human resources and how long is the training from a classical TWR to a remote one? - Is this duration expected to change for next towers?

The training is roughly three weeks with most of the time spent in ‘shadow mode’. The duration is not expected to change significantly in the future.