ATC will control London flights from 70 miles away

If you fly into London City in two years’ time, air traffic controllers won’t see your plane through a window but will guide it down from screens 70 miles away as the airport becomes one of the first in a major capital to use a digital control tower.

Staff will monitor planes with the help of high-tech 360-degree cameras and sensors fitted to a newly constructed tower with data and a panoramic views all feeding through to the national air traffic control centre in the southern town of Swanwick.

The airport, which is undergoing a 350 million pound ($455million) expansion, is located near the Canary Wharf financial centre in east London and used by over 4.5 million passengers, mainly for business travel between Europe’s major centres.

But from 2019, controllers will be based over 110 km away where the airport says an array of digital tools will improve their awareness of situations and efficiency, allowing for quick decision-making.

“A pioneering new digital air traffic control system will enhance safety and improve resilience, setting a new standard for the global aviation industry to follow,” London City Airport Chief Executive Declan Collier said. “This cutting edge proven technology future-proofs London City Airport’s air traffic control for the next 30 years and beyond.”