The Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower has been an iconic part of the airport since the beginning of modern aviation. However, delivering the next generation of ATC facilities and operations involves rapid changes as they support the necessarily heightened standards of safety and efficiency that airlines and their passengers now demand.
The five following elements highlight the central importance of technological empowerment currently occurring in ATC. As airspaces become more crowded, comprehensive transformation efforts are needed to ensure that towers can not just keep up with demand, but stay comfortably ahead of it.
1. AI and Automation in Air Traffic Control
Scaling ATC operations up or down to fit quieter and busier flying times has always presented airports with a problem of staffing. Automation, empowered by AI, has the potential to solve this age-old issue, handling operational loads with ease while sidestepping concerns of overstaffing or, worse, understaffing. As such solutions become more sophisticated, they present a viable path towards better decision making, reduced delays, improved environmental performance and the elimination of human error.
Large-scale experimentation projects such as EUROCONTROL and NASA’s Air Traffic Management – eXploration (ATM-X) are already yielding invaluable results, presenting encouraging reading for operators hoping to improve coordination among various airspace users
Exemplar Airport – London Heathrow (LHR): In November 2024, LHR reported that it had tested a new AI system “Amy” on 40,000 flights. The system combines radar and 4K video data to track aircraft at all points across the LHR airfield and airspace and is part of the airport’s plan to create a “fully digital tower” setup by 2027.
Exemplar Air Authority – Saudi Air Navigation Services (SANS): Saudi Arabia is on the verge of achieving a holistic upgrade of its entire aviation sector, as the government works closely with airports, airlines and other industry stakeholders to rapidly integrate emerging digital technologies into the wider ecosystem. SANS is currently working with Frequentis Control Room Consulting (CRC) to optimise Saudi ATC through AI to bring lean management into control rooms, securing information flows and improving decision making at the operator level.
2. Digital and Remote Towers
Rather than relying on “out of the window” approaches to ATC, towers with fully digitised setups offer significant advantages in terms of operational resilience and efficiency. Remote facilities can ensure continuity if the airport is suffering adverse weather conditions or even a direct terrorist attack or other emergency scenario. With high-resolution cameras and sensors, digital towers can achieve a truly holistic view of their airspace and airfield, wherever the tower itself is located.
Exemplar Airport – Singapore Changi Airport (SIN): A repeat winner of many of the aviation industry’s highest accolades, SIN continually pushes the frontier of technological prowess in its operations. Currently, the airport is collaborating with services provider NCS to fully implement “iFerret” into its digital tower. The system runs 24/7, using high-definition cameras deployed along the runway to flag debris and other foreign objects as small as 4cm.
3. Satellite-Based Navigation Systems
The move from traditional radar-based air traffic management to satellite-based navigation systems presents an unrivalled opportunity for boosting the safety and overall optimisation of flight paths. With more accurate tracking of real-time conditions, planes can take more direct routes safely, reducing fuel consumption and avoiding hazardous situations.
Exemplar Airport – San Francisco International Airport (SFO): For the past 10 years, SFO has been continually improving its satellite-based navigation through a NextGen air traffic management system using Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP). This has led to more precise flight paths, fewer delays, less fuel consumption and emissions, and less noise pollution.
4. Integration of Drones and Urban Air Mobility (UAM)
People-carrying drones are poised to become the next link in sustainable transportation, and airports will need to integrate UAM oversight into their ATC operations as this new form of transport becomes commercially available. Successfully managing airspace where air taxis take off and land vertically will present a whole raft of new challenges, but also new opportunities.
Exemplar Airport – Dubai International Airport (DXB): The UAE aims to secure first-mover advantages with air taxis, and DXB will be one of four initial landing sites being built with Skyports to bring this new service to Dubai by 2026. Once established, this route will allow passengers to bypass the city’s road traffic in style – a trip from DXB to the Palm Jumeirah will take only 10 minutes, compared to 45 minutes by car.
5. Cybersecurity and Resilience in ATC Systems
Relying more heavily on digital technologies may unlock all manner of sustainability and efficiency benefits, but it also makes the airport more vulnerable to cyberattacks and sabotage. Protecting all ATC infrastructure (digital and physical), and by extension the flights they oversee, will remain a top priority for all airports in the coming decades.
Exemplar – Cathay Pacific: While individual airports understandably do not tend to advertise the full details of their cybersecurity setups in public forums, both airports and airlines continue to invest more heavily in top-tier cyber solutions to safeguard their ATC operations. In January 2025, Cathay Pacific contracted SITA, a Global Airports Forum exhibitor, to expand its network connectivity and security across 51 airports worldwide, utilising its AI-empowered cybersecurity solutions.
Keeping the skies clear
Empowering ATC operations with latest technology is vital for the future of air travel. As the skies get busier and new technologies emerge, elements such as satellite navigation, AI, automation and stronger cybersecurity are the key to keeping up with demand safely and securely.
Equally, the reimagining of next-generation airports begins with ensuring that flights can take off and land safely. This will soon come to include drones as well as planes, complicating the picture further. But by embracing these advancements, ATC systems can handle the increasing demand while making sure air travel remains secure, smooth, and ready for whatever comes next.
