How Artificial Intelligence Is Enhancing Air Traffic Control

DALLAS — Artificial Intelligence (AI) is currently being tested at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to help recover 20% of lost capacity caused by low clouds and reduced visibility from the control tower.

The trial, conducted by the air traffic management service NATS, the UK's leading provider of air traffic control services, in collaboration with Searidge Technologies, which develops innovative technology to improve safety and efficiency in the aviation market, aims to reduce flight delays and improve passenger punctuality.

The trial occurs within NATS' Digital Tower Laboratory, the Virtual Contingency Facility (VCF), where ultra HD 4K cameras, advanced AI, and machine learning technology enhance the airport's landing capacity during low visibility. The 87-meter tall control tower at LHR, although providing commanding views, can disappear into low clouds, resulting in reduced visibility for controllers. NATS has deployed 20 ultra HD cameras at the airfield to address this issue.

The camera views are then fed into an AI platform called AIMEE, developed by Searidge. AIMEE interprets the images, tracks the aircraft, and informs the controller when an aircraft has successfully cleared the runway. This allows the controller to decide to clear the next arrival. NATS believes this system will help the airport reclaim the lost capacity and improve passenger punctuality.

Non-operational trials are underway to assess the feasibility of implementing this technology into service. AIMEE will study the behavior of over 50,000 arriving aircraft to ensure the system's accuracy. The project findings will then be presented to the UK's Civil Aviation Authority. The same technology may also be used to control LHR's third runway.

The trial is part of NATS's £2.5 million investment in a 'digital tower laboratory' inside (and below) the LHR control tower. NATS is working with the UK's biggest airport to explore how technology can support air traffic operations now and in the future. The aim is to improve the passenger experience safely and resiliently, but the implications of the technology go far beyond.

UK at the Forefront of Advanced ATC Technologies

The use of AI technology in air traffic control is an ongoing development in the aviation industry. According to Searidge, British Airways (BA) uses AI to improve punctuality and enhance customer journeys through the airport.

In 2021, another London airport achieved a significant milestone by becoming the world's first major international airport to operate with a remote digital air traffic control tower. London City Airport (LCY) tested this groundbreaking technology with live trials during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Under this system, all flights on the 2021 summer schedule were guided by air traffic controllers located 115km away at NATS' air traffic control center in Swanwick, Hampshire. These controllers utilized the "enhanced reality" view provided by a cutting-edge 50m digital control tower. This allows them to guide aircraft to land or take off from the heart of the London Docklands business district.

The implementation of this technology represented a significant advancement in global air traffic management. It played a crucial role in enabling the airport to handle the anticipated increase in demand for flying during the summer season three years ago when COVID restrictions gradually began to be lifted.

The VCF Below London Heathrow's Tower

Work on the new LHR VCF began last year. It replaces the existing backup 'tower' and represents a significant investment by LHR, providing added resilience to the airport operation and protecting the nation's aviation infrastructure.

The VCF is a state-of-the-art facility that matches the operational capacity of its predecessor. However, with the introduction of AI capabilities, NATS and LHR are working together to increase the VCF's ability to operate at 100% during the project's second phase, with controllers having live images from the ultra HD cameras, allowing them to see aircraft and airport support vehicles blocked by terminal buildings (see the Wall Street Journal video linked below), among other visual enhancements.

The VCF allows LHR to continue operating at 70% capacity if the central tower becomes unavailable. The layout of the new VCF mirrors that of the actual tower, providing a seamless transition between the two. Kelly Stone, Head of Airport Operations at LHR, emphasizes the importance of resilience in responding to disruptions and highlights the investment in the VCF to ensure passenger journeys continue even in unforeseen circumstances.

The project's second phase sees panoramic screens displaying the airport, providing an enhanced operational experience. Although the original VCF has never been used in an incident, the NATS control tower team regularly conducts exercises to simulate the closure of the central tower and the transfer to the contingency facility, aiming to accomplish this within a few hours if necessary.

Another benefit for LHR, and any international airport in expansion mode, is that these "remote" or "digital" towers can help major hubs expand with new runways without the need to move ATC towers physically for better visibility, something any large airport such as DFW, whose ATC tower functions beyond its intended design life as per a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) study that includes 31 ATC towers across the U.S. functioning under the same conditions, can undoubtedly appreciate.

While President Biden’s 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill paved the way for airport "Facilities and Equipment funding (US$5 billion)," the bill does not contain AI in its language. It is worth noting that the FAA has launched a remote tower pilot program. However, infrastructure changes move slower in the U.S. than in Europe. According to The White House, none of the airports in the U.S. are currently ranked among the top 25 airports globally.

The Business Proposition: Quicker Turnarounds

Passengers and airports are set to benefit from AI technologies in the travel experience and operations, respectively. but what about airlines? Searidge Technologies says that "Artificial Intelligence could help to reclaim 20% of lost capacity caused by low cloud and reduced visibility from the Control Tower, boosting punctuality for passengers and reducing late runners for local residents."

One area where AI can make a significant impact is in the optimization of turnaround times for airlines. Searidge's machine learning software can identify support vehicles and determine instantly whether they are in place quickly enough for planes to make their next departure.

Ground staff currently estimate this process, but with AI, the accuracy and efficiency of this assessment can be significantly improved. Quicker turnaround times can result in substantial benefits for airlines, as a Boeing study suggests that saving just 10 minutes in turnaround times can add up to 200 additional flights annually for an airline.

While Searidge's AI software can contribute to safer and more efficient high-frequency takeoffs and landings by identifying when an aircraft has safely left the runways, it can also reduce the risk of near misses such as the Japan Airlines Flight 516 collision at Tokyo's Haneda International Aiport (HND) earlier this year, thus enhancing overall safety measures.

When an aircraft is not in the air, an airline can experience financial losses. By harnessing the power of AI, airports and airlines can protect their equipment, reclaim lost capacity, boost punctuality, and reduce delays.

Norways Digital Towers

With its vast distances and challenging terrain, Norway has implemented a remote tower solution to overcome these obstacles in its aviation infrastructure. On October 19, 2019, Avinor Air Navigation Services, in collaboration with technology providers Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Indra, introduced the 'Remote Towers' solution on the Arctic island of Røst. This solution was initially implemented at 15 airports in the project's first phase.

In October 2020, the world's largest Remote Towers Centre was inaugurated in Bodø, Norway. Since the summer of 2021, this center has been operating six airports. In the project's second phase, more airports from Avinor's network will be managed from the Remote Towers Centre in Bodø.

From a passenger's perspective, the presence of a remote tower at the airport is not noticeable, except that a camera mast replaces the traditional tower. However, the personnel who used to be stationed in the building are now located at the Remote Towers Centre in Bodø.

For pilots operating aircraft, there are no practical differences in procedures. They will continue to communicate with tower personnel via radio, as they do currently. A 360° camera at each airport captures detailed images beyond what the human eye can perceive. These cameras can zoom in on small details, detect movements (such as birds or drones) in the images, and even have an infrared setting for night-time visibility.

To ensure reliable connectivity, redundant networks connect each airport to the 'Remote Towers Centre.' An alternate network is available to maintain the connection if one fails. These networks are high-grade aviation networks that utilize both fiber cables and radio transmissions.

The Remote Towers Centre in Bodø is staffed by the same type of personnel who previously worked in individual towers spread across vast geographic distances. Equipped with large screens, they have a comprehensive overview of every movement and operation at each airport and can directly communicate with pilots and ground crew.

How AI will shape airport operations worldwide is still conjecture as society is in the trial-and-error phase of this nascent technology. However, recent developments suggest more efficient and less human-centric airport operations. By combining remote capabilities with the AI analysis tools discussed above, the future of ATC is set to arrive ahead of schedule.

Featured image: London Heathrow Airport Air Traffic Control Tower. Photo: RSHP. Article sources: The Wall Street Journal, NATS, Searidge Technologies, Avinor, Aviation Pros, the White House.