Defence and security company Saab will install an air traffic control (ATC) system at Sundsvall and Örnsköldsvik airports, making it possible to control the air traffic at both airports from one single air traffic control centre.
The system is expected to be installed and tested in 2011 and to become operational in 2011/2012. Air traffic at Sundsvall and Örnsköldsvik airports will then be controlled from a joint air traffic control centre located in Sundsvall.
“Not only is this Saab's first contract for this solution, it is also the first system of this type to be put into operation anywhere in the world,” says Per Ahl, Sales manager for Saab's air traffic control solutions.
“The development of remotely operated towers is an example of Swedish engineering and technology at the forefront. LFV and Saab have developed technology that is not only of national concern, but also of great importance internationally. Remote towers are a step towards more efficient air traffic, in a time where this business faces high demands for rationalisation,” says Rolf Norman, technical director, LFV.
Cameras and sensors are installed at the airports, and everything they record is linked in real time over to the air traffic control centre and projected into a 360 degree view. At the air traffic control centre, the controller monitors and controls air traffic just as if they were sitting in a normal air traffic control tower. Safety has top priority. The cameras can record changes in the image, meaning that dangers such as unauthorised vehicles or objects on the runway are detected more easily. Using the cameras, the air traffic controller can also record what is happening in the sky and around the airport and then review this retrospectively in the event of an incident.