First remote air traffic control center to be built in U.S.
A company plans to build the first remote air traffic control center in the United States that could handle traffic for multiple airports from the site of a former Air Force base in Alabama, a newspaper reported.
Advanced ATC Inc, an air traffic control academy in Valdosta, Georgia, announced plans Thursday to invest about $4.7 million in Craig Air Field, now a public airport in Dallas County, south of Selma, the Selma Times-Journal reported. The company also announced it will establish an international academy at the site.
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The control center will use cameras, real-time video and other resources, allowing controllers to remotely perform tasks they would usually perform in a traditional air traffic tower, the company added.
“Remote towers represent an important and innovative step in modernization efforts in the United States, and I am excited to see Advanced ATC establish its pioneering operation at Craig Field,” said Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield.
Although the technology is gaining a presence in Europe, it is relatively new in the United States, Dan Cunningham, chief operating executive for Advanced ATC, told The Associated Press.
“Remote control systems are new to the United States,” Cunningham said. He added that the center will be part of its on-site training academy-where the company hopes to train students from around the world-but will need approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before handling air traffic in the country.
The FAA has not approved any remote centers, but Cunningham said they are already currently being evaluated for two airports. “Our process will be the same,” he said.
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Advanced ATC officials said the new center will be equipped to support aviation expansion and provide air traffic control services to up to 40 airports across the country.
“The landscape for smaller airports to afford ATC service without the requirements of building a $5 million to $10 million control tower is now available with the advancement of camera and satellite technologies almost daily,” Cunningham said. “The center in Selma is going to be the catalyst for this historic change in the United States.”
The company’s plan for the next five years calls for generating up to 119 employees in Selma, with a payroll of $8 million. Of those jobs, the company will hire 28 people to operate the Craig Field facility in the first year, with a payroll of $3.1 million.
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