Remote and Virtual Tower (RVT) is a new concept where the Air Traffic Service (ATS) at an airport is performed somewhere else than in the local control tower.
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The Air Traffic Control Officer (ATCO) og Aerodrome Flight Information Services Officer (AFISO) will be re-located to a Remote Tower Centre (RTC) from where they will provide the ATS.
The RVT concept is aiming at providing:
The full range of Air Traffic Services defined in ICAO Documents 4444,[1] 9426 and EUROCONTROL’s Manual for AFIS[2] will still be provided remotely by an ATCO or AFISO. The airspace users should be provided with the appropriate level of services as if the ATS were provided locally at the airport.
The SESAR Joint Undertaking projects are looking at RVT concepts, based on either one person controlling one airport, or one person controlling multiple airports.
The initial trials of remote ATS for low and medium density airports, have been based on Optical sensors (cameras), providing the ATCOs at the RTC with a high quality real time image of the Runway, the APRON and the very nearby Airspace. These real time images were displayed at large monitors providing a 360 degree view.
Beside the live video feed from the airport, the ATCOs have available the same Air Traffic Management computer systems as they would have in a local control tower building, being Voice communication systems, Meteorological systems, Flight plan systems, and Surveillance display systems. The level of equipage might depend of whether it is a controlled TWR service, or a Flight Information Service being provided at the specific airport. Depending on the complexity of the airport, the traffic densities, and weather conditions, it might be preferable to complement the optical images with a Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS) with signal inputs from Surface Movement Radar (SMR) and/or Local Area Multilateration (LAM).
The RVT concept is under development as part of the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU), where Work Package 6[3] develops the operational concepts, while Work Package 12[4] develops the corresponding technology to enable the RVT functionality.
There will be carried out live SESAR Validation trials at a few selected airports in Norway (Avinor) and Sweden (Luftfartsverket) as part of SESAR Joint Undertaking Project 6.9.3 during the years 2012-2015.
Airservices Australia intends to evaluate RVT technology from Saab group at the Alice Springs airport in Central Australia from late 2012, with the control centre placed in Adelaide.[5]
In March 2009, Saab group and Luftfartsverket (LFV) carried out a live shadow mode demonstration of their existing Remote Tower concept.[6] This demonstration took place at a Remote Tower Centre facility established at Malmø Air Traffic Control Centre (ATCC), controlling a flight in and out of Angelholm airport (ICAO:ESTA) in southern Sweden. As a contingency mechanism during this trial, the local control tower at Angelholm was staffed by ATCOs.
Saab and Luftfartsverket have been the major driving forces behind the Remote Tower development, and are both represented in the SESAR Joint Undertaking projects, through North European ATM Industry Group (NATMIG) and NORACON.
During ATC Global in Amsterdam in March 2011, SESAR Joint Undertaking had a ceremony where Project 6.9.3 'Remote & Virtual Tower' was given the award for 'most advanced for deployment'.[7] The price was presented by Executive Director of SESAR Joint Undertaking Mr Patrick Ky, and received by Project 6.9.3 Project Manager Mr Göran Lindqvist, NORACON.
The main benefits of RVT is expected to be on cost efficiency.
The cost savings originate from the following factors:
There is also a great potential to better and more cost efficiently serve flights which either are scheduled outside the core opening hours of the airport, or by being able to serve non scheduled traffic (ambulance flights and SAR helicopters) with an Air traffic service during night time when a smaller airports would normally be closed.
There are strong similarities between the concept of RVT, and the criteria for disruptive innovations as defined by Clayton Christensen and Michael Raynor in the book "Innovators Solution".
RVT may fit in the category "low-level disruptions", by being able to provide Air Traffic Services at airports with relatively low traffic levels today served by an expensive, full scale ATC provided by ATCOs in the local tower building. For these airports the RVT will initially deliver the same level of safety and defined Air Traffic Services, but potentially at a slightly lower capacity during a few peak hours. These will be trade-offs for the airport operator to consider: accepting the potential of a few minor delays caused by a low cost Air Traffic Services, or always provide the best capacity through an expensive, traditional Air Traffic Services.