Potential problems ranging from bugs obscuring cameras to more sophisticated cyber attacks should be considered as remote tower services (RTS) become more prevalent, according to the European Cockpit Association (ECA). The pilots’ organization issued a position paper on the technology one week after Sweden gave final approval to begin operating the first remotely controlled airport.
“European pilots recognize that such remote tower services will be part of future air operations and can bring potential benefits if, and only if, they guarantee an equivalent or higher level of flight safety, compared to local air traffic control,” the Brussels-based ECA said. “With demand for such remote services growing and technology advancing, it is therefore time for regulators and industry, including pilots, to carefully evaluate the RTS concept and its technology.”
The remote tower concept combines the ATC functions of small airports at one centrally located facility, or remote tower center. Cameras and sensors installed at the remote airports feed imagery and data in real time to controllers at the center, where it is presented on high-definition displays. International Civil Aviation Organization provisions are “clearly outdated” with regard to the technology, and an urgent need exists to develop common standards and recommended practices, flight procedures, separation standards and minimum systems requirements for RTS, according to the ECA.
Among areas of concern, the association said simple hardware failures involving the equipment installed at airports or remote centers could disrupt operations. “Cases have been reported where bugs sat on the camera blocking the view,” the position paper states. “The outage of a camera or a display at the controller working position covering essential parts of the airport area or traffic circuit are likely to happen at some stage.” Cyber attacks pose another threat. The association said contingency procedures should be established to prevent an attack or to minimize the consequences of hacking, data manipulation and viruses.
For now, the ECA said it does not support the use of multiple remote tower operations in which one controller is responsible for the operations at more than one airport. “Nowadays only few air traffic controllers hold ratings for more than one tower and it is highly unlikely that these would be exercised in a single shift,” the paper states. “In multiple RTS controllers might be required to work at airports with completely different or very similar layouts and weather patterns. Both can lead to a fragmented situational awareness, causing misunderstandings, mix-ups and other working errors, thus having the potential to significantly decrease the safety of operations.” Multiple tower operations should be approved only after sufficient experience is gained and human factors research conducted on single RTS operations, the association said. It also opposes cross-border RTS service without a European Union framework in place to prevent “regulatory forum shopping and market distortion.”
On November 3, contractor Saab announced that Sweden’s Transport Agency granted final operational approval for a remote tower system that LFV, the country’s air navigation service provider, will use to operate Örnsköldsvik Airport from Sundsvall, 100 km (62 miles) away. “This achievement means the world’s first airport remotely controlled by remote tower services will commence shortly, paving the way for more efficient, safe and cost-effective delivery of air traffic control services,” Saab declared.