Northern Sweden's Ornskoldsvik Airport is now the first airport in the world to use unmanned airport towers, according to The Boston Globe. Each day, the dozens of commercial planes that land are monitored by cameras and guided by controllers that view the video footage from another airport 90 miles away. Other areas in Europe, and one airport in the United States, are currently testing the idea.
"There is a lot of good camera technology that can do things that the human eye can't," says Pat Urbanek of Searidge Technologies. "We understand that video is not real life, out the window. It's a different way of surveying."
The cameras, which are spaced out around the airport, eliminate blind spots and increase the detail of the views, according to Skift. Additionally, the cameras can be used in conjunction with infrared technology and thermal sensors for rainy, foggy or snowy conditions.
With an average salary of $175,000 per airport controller, the 80,000 annual passenger load of Ornskoldsvik Airport doesn't justify full-time control staff, according to RT. With unmanned airport towers, the maintenance and staffing costs are completely eliminated, essentially decreasing their costs.
"Maybe, eventually there will be no towers built at all," said Niclas Gustavsson, head of commercial development for LFV Group, the air navigation operator for numerous Swedish airports.
