UK's first digital air traffic control centre opens in Bedfordshire
Britain's first digital air traffic control centre has entered service at an airfield in Bedfordshire.
Controllers at the new centre at Cranfield Airport are using a live feed from high-definition digital cameras to direct take-offs and landings.
The 14 screens in an operations room at the airport replicate the panoramic view from the windows of a traditional ATC tower.
The new control centre was opened by aviation minister Liz Sugg, who said on Thursday that the government’s upcoming consultant on aviation strategy “will set out how the Government proposes to encourage the use of innovative technology to achieve sustainable aviation growth and enhance passengers’ experience.”
Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions has developed the new technology, which lets employees zoom in on aircraft displayed on the digital screens.
Cranfield Airport isn’t the first airport in the world to have a digital air traffic control centre installed.
Similar centres are already running at Örnsköldsvik and Sundsvall airports in Sweden and were originally installed in 2015.
London’s City Airport has said that it plans to move to a digital air traffic control centre by January 2020.
Around 20,000 take-offs and landings take place every year at Cranfield, which is used by light aircraft, business jets and aviation research.
