A newly formed Digital Tower Technology Coalition has launched in the United States with the stated aim of accelerating the deployment of digital and remote air traffic control technology across the National Airspace System. The coalition brings together US airports, regional partners, technology developers and integrators, and other aviation stakeholders, and has outlined a series of priorities covering system design and approval, multi-airport management, expedited deployment to underserved regions, advanced air mobility integration and workforce development.

Digital and remote towers enable air traffic controllers to manage airport operations from a centralised location using high-definition, 360-degree camera systems providing real-time views of runways and surrounding airspace. The technology eliminates the need for a physical on-site tower, significantly reducing construction and maintenance costs while extending ATC services to airports that could not otherwise justify the infrastructure investment.

The US has lagged behind Europe on adoption. The FAA conducted pilot programmes in Leesburg, Virginia and Fort Collins, Colorado, but shelved them pending the establishment of technical standards. Meanwhile, remote towers have become operationally established across multiple European countries, with Norway’s remote tower centre managing more than a dozen airfields from a single facility. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, Orlando International, George Bush Intercontinental and Kansas City International have adopted digital technologies for ramp operations, and Winter Haven Regional Airport in Florida is among new projects currently in development.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 provided fresh legislative impetus, mandating the FAA to establish a formal programme and publish clear deployment milestones — the regulatory foundation the coalition now seeks to build upon.

For airport planners and regional aviation authorities, digital tower technology represents a cost-effective pathway to extending formal ATC services to non-towered and underserved airports — a consideration increasingly relevant as advanced air mobility operations begin to require more structured airspace management at secondary sites.