Remote ATC Tower Project on Hold in Colorado After Supplier Bows Out

Searidge Technologies reportedly told the FAA it would stop work on the project at the Northern Colorado Regional Airport (KFNL), which was expected to cut costs.

Jonathan Welsh

Monday, October 23, 2023 at 03:05 PM ET

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Remote tower technology replaces windows with screens. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The years-long remote air traffic control (ATC) tower testing project at Northern Colorado Regional Airport (KFNL) has been halted by its supplier, Searidge Technologies.
The project, initiated in 2015 to bring lower-cost remote ATC to Colorado airports, faced setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic and changing FAA certification standards.
KFNL will continue operating with its current mobile remote tower while state and airport officials explore options, expressing optimism about the technology's future and interest from other potential suppliers.

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A yearslong project to test and evaluate a remote ATC tower at Northern Colorado Regional Airport (KFNL) in Loveland has been cut short, for now, the Colorado Department of Transportation said.

Since 2015, CDOT’s Division of Aeronautics has been working with the airport and FAA to bring remote towers to the state’s airports and has used KFNL as a test case. Under the system, controllers use arrays of video cameras and other sensing equipment to conduct ATC operations at a lower cost compared with traditional control towers.