LFV has now demonstrated the multiple remote tower function at Malmö Sturup. Multiple remote tower marks the next generation of remote air traffic control. This successful air traffic control concept, which LFV was the first in the world to introduce in 2015, is now in operation at six Swedish airports.
When remote air traffic control was developed and gradually introduced, it was based on the one to one concept, that is, where one air traffic controller manages the air traffic at one airport. Multiple remote tower have been developed step by step while normal daily air traffic control operations have continued, first to implement the system and then to develop it further to handle more complex situations.
“There are a lot of factors that need to be taken into account in that development effort. It can be about complex situations at the various airports, the type of air traffic you handle and not least the workload of the individual air traffic controller. It’s not just a work environment issue, but above all an aviation safety issue”, says Lindsey Martenez Hermosilla, program manager within LFV for remote technology research.
In 2015, remote air traffic control services were put into operation at Örnsköldsvik Airport. In the following years, five more Swedish airports added remote services: Sundsvall Timrå Airport, Linköping City Airport, Scandinavian Mountains Airport, Kiruna Airport and Åre Östersund Airport.
LFV leads multiple remote tower research which is done under the auspices of SESAR. SESAR is a joint EU project to define, develop and deploy technologies to transform air traffic management in Europe by streamlining the European aviation industry, including airports, airlines and air traffic control service providers, such as LFV. The research initiative aims to design a workplace for air traffic controllers where the controller can manage air traffic at two or three airports at the same time.
“In order to reach the full potential of remote air traffic control in terms of efficiency, multiple remote tower are a given and a necessary step. It is nice to know that Sweden is a leader in that development”, says Lindsey Martenez Hermosilla.
