SELMA, Ala. ( Associated Press) — A company plans to build the first remote air traffic control center in the United States, which could handle traffic for multiple airports from the site of a former Alabama Air Force base. , reported a newspaper.
Advanced ATC Inc., an air traffic control academy in Valdosta, Ga., announced plans Thursday to invest about $4.7 million in Craig Air Field, now a public airport in Dallas County, just south of Selma. reported the Selma Times-Journal. The company further announced that it will establish an international academy on the site.
The control center will use cameras, real-time video and other resources, allowing controllers to remotely perform tasks that they would usually perform in a traditional air traffic tower, the company added.
“The remote towers represent an important and innovative step in modernization efforts in the United States and I am excited to see Advanced ATC establish its pioneering operation at Craig Field,” said Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield.
Although the technology is gaining ground in Europe, it is relatively new in the United States, Dan Cunningham, chief operating officer for Advanced ATC, told The Associated Press.
“Remote control systems are new to the United States,” Cunningham said. He added that the center will be part of its on-site training academy — where the company hopes to train students from around the world — but will need approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). before handling air traffic in the country.
The FAA has not approved any remote hubs, but Cunningham said they are currently being evaluated for two airports. “Our process will be the same,” he said.
Officials from Advanced ATC Inc. said the new center will be equipped to support the expansion of aviation and to provide air traffic control services to up to 40 airports in the country.
“The landscape for small airports to afford ATC service without the $5 million to $10 million control tower requirement is now available with camera and satellite technologies advancing almost daily,” Cunningham said. . “The center in Selma is going to be the catalyst for this historic change in America.”
The company’s plan for the next five years foresees generating up to 119 employees in Selma, with a payroll of 8 million dollars. Of those jobs, the company will hire 28 people to operate the facility at Craig Field in the first year, with a payroll of $3.1 million.
