The FAA has stepped up activity surrounding digital remote towers, with systems undergoing testing at the agency’s William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City. Winter Haven Regional Airport/Gilbert Field (KGIF) in Florida is working toward becoming the first in the U.S. to receive approval for an installed remote tower system.
While the timeline for approval is not certain, testing activity marks a step forward for the program that had sputtered earlier this decade after the FAA had changed certification standards for the technology. That change had upended two of the most advanced projects in the U.S.—at Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia and Northern Colorado Regional Airport near Fort Collins, with the respective vendors Saab and Searidge halting their efforts.
Meanwhile, remote towers have been expanding in numbers globally. Think tank Reason Foundation noted that some 30 are in operation, with nearly a dozen more in the works. A concentration of them is found in Norway and Sweden, but interest spreads as far as Asia.
In the U.S., however, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 included provisions designed to reenergize remote tower activity, including directives for the FAA to create a program for the design and operational approval of them.
The FAA told AIN that several vendors have submitted proposals for remote tower systems, and the agency selected RTX-Frequentis for full system design approval evaluation and operational testing. It is assessing them solely for use in Class D airspace, where entities such as contract towers would own and operate them. However, the agency added that it has not yet issued any system design approvals.
In Winter Haven, the Florida Department of Transportation is funding the remote tower system. Operated from a control center at Bartow Executive Airport (KBOW), the remote tower system will use sensors and high-definition cameras to provide a view of the airspace at KGIF. Officials hope for approval in 2026.
Aviation groups such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association have been following the progress. “We believe remote towers can help increase safety and provide a viable option for some airports,” the association said.