Airways New Zealand will replace its air traffic control tower at Invercargill airport with a remote digital tower.
The air navigation services provider has issued a request for proposals seeking a supplier that would be able to go live with the digital tower in 2020.
Digital towers use high-definition video cameras and other systems to enable air traffic controllers to provide services from a remote location.
“Invercargill is an ideal location for NZ’s first digital tower,” says Airways chief executive Graeme Sumner. “Traffic levels are low enough compared to an international airport to make implementing a totally new system manageable, but busy enough to give a meaningful demonstration of how this technology will work on a larger scale.”
FlightGlobal schedules data shows that in May, 254 flights are scheduled to operate from Invercargill - all of which will be flown using ATR 72 and Bombardier Q300 tubroprops.
Airways adds that it also plans to install a remote tower as a backup facility at Auckland International airport around 2020.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
