NATS signs deal to collaborate on Digital Control Towers

London City Airport digital tower at Swanwick
London City Airport digital tower at Swanwick

UK Air Traffic Control provider NATS has today signed a deal with HungaroControl to collaborate on Digital Control Tower projects around the world.

NATS setup it’s first Digital Control Tower in 2017 at Swanwick. The digital tower provides services for London City Airport using cameras and screens that give a controller in Swanwick, a real-time 360-degree view of London City Airport. NATS also became joint shareholders in Searidge Technologies, which develops digital tower solutions.

Around the same time, HungaroControl, announced that Budapest Airport would become the first medium-capacity airport in the world where air traffic is controlled from a digital tower.

HungaroControl now has regulatory certification and is planning to move to a full-time digital operation by 2020.

The new digital tower control room at NATS Swanwick control centre for London City Airport is due to enter full operations service in 2019.
The new digital tower control room at NATS Swanwick control centre for London City Airport is due to enter full operations service in 2019.

Singapore’s Changi Airport will be the first project from the new agreement after Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority appointed NATS to lead a team, which includes HungaroControl and Searidge, to develop a digital smart tower prototype for Changi.

Andy Taylor, NATS Head of Customer Solutions, said: “Between NATS, HungaroControl and Searidge Technologies, I believe we can offer airports around the world unrivalled expertise in the development, transition and deployment of digital towers, from safety assurance and training right through to certification and live operational experience.”

Attila Simon, HungaroControl, Business Development Director: “We are delighted to join NATS in this collaboration, and particularly with our first joint focus, at Changi Airport, on what will be the biggest deployment of digital tower technology anywhere in the world to date.”

About Nick Harding 2035 Articles
Nick is the senior reporter and editor at UK Aviation News as well as working freelance elsewhere. He has his finger firmly on the pulse on Aviation, not only in the UK but worldwide. Nick has been asked to speak in a professional capacity on LBC, Heart and other broadcast networks.

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