The FAA says digital towers are now operational at Bartow Executive Airport in Florida and Kenai Municipal Airport in Alaska, with five more regional airports planned.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that the first digital air traffic control towers in the US are officially operational at Bartow Executive Airport in Florida and Kenai Municipal Airport in Alaska.
The digital towers use advanced camera systems and digital displays to give air traffic controllers a continuous, 360-degree view of airport operations, including runways, taxiways and surrounding airspace, according to the agency. The FAA maintains that the technology is not intended to replace human controllers. Instead, the systems are designed to provide greater visibility and additional information to help controllers perform their existing duties.
“Our air traffic controllers continue to do the critical job of keeping aircraft safely separated, and we’re giving them better technology to do that,” said the FAA’s administrator, Bryan Bedford, in a statement.
“Digital towers provide controllers with greater visibility of airport activity and more information to make critical decisions,” he added.
Five additional regional airports are slated to receive the technology next. The effort aims to replace decades-old equipment still used throughout the aviation system, including copper telecommunications lines, floppy disks and paper strips used to track aircraft.
Congress approved $12.5bn over five years in June 2025 to support air traffic control reforms, but the Trump administration is seeking another $30bn from the legislative branch to fund additional improvements.
Concerns about the types of technology being implemented within air traffic control have been gaining traction alongside the increasing unease about artificial intelligence as a whole. In September, the FAA rolled out a new AI software tool called the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (Smart).
Staffing levels in control towers and many related aspects of US air traffic safety systems have been under especially close scrutiny since a midair collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter on the outskirts of Washington DC in 2025 that killed 67 people. It was the deadliest crash in the US for more than 20 years and the authorities later deemed it “100% preventable”.
The activation of digital towers marks the first adoption of this technology in the US air traffic control system and is part of a broader multibillion-dollar modernization effort to replace ageing aviation infrastructure.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
The day's checked news, by email
One short email a day with the top stories. Free, and you can unsubscribe in one click.
Or follow for the latest news:
No comments yet. Start the discussion.
Researchers are studying whether the licensed Ervebo vaccine can protect against the Bundibugyo strain causing the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
TechTrending
Sony has released the MDR-3R, a modern recreation of the original 1979 Walkman headphones, featuring a USB-C connector, 23 mm drivers, and interchangeable blue and orange ear cushions.
