Timeline
Approvals and go-lives
Every dated event in the records, newest first, each with its source. Future dates are plans, shown as scheduled. The type label is a plain-language guess from the wording of the source, so read the sentence.
2029
- 2029Scheduled Delivery due 2029
2028
- 1 Jan 2028Scheduled Agreement takes effect
- 1 Jan 2028Scheduled Planned start of remote service from Sundsvall
2027
- 2027Scheduled Planned operation from Bodø (Kongsberg delivery due 2027)
- 2027Scheduled Planned completion spring 2027
- 2027Scheduled Planned to become operational (equipped in 2026)
2026
- 2 Oct 2026Approval Colorado Aeronautical Board hears that guidance was issued and design approval granted; award timing is described as uncertain.United States program · citizenportal.ai
- 28 Sep 2026Approval FAA Office of Airports issues PGL 26-06 on AIP funding of Digital Airport Traffic Control Tower systems. It does not grant operational approval.United States program · faa.gov
- 22 Sep 2026Contract or announcement Contract announced
- 21 Sep 2026Contract or announcement Saab announces a 15-year service contract for remote ATC at Stockholm-Västerås
- 18 Sep 2026Approval FY27 Contract Tower Competitive Grant Program opens; digital towers are eligible if FAA-certified. Applications close 19 October 2026.United States program · faa.gov
- 4 Sep 2026Approval FAA Digital Tower Systems page last updated. It says the FAA is renaming Remote Tower to Digital Tower, is evaluating designs at the Technical Center and will update the page when (and if) it issues a System Design Approval. At our 11 Oct 2026 review it did not list the 2 Sep approval that PGL 26-06 describes.United States program · faa.gov
- 2 Sep 2026Approval FAA grants system design approval to Frequentis USA, with conditions (as stated in AIP Program Guidance Letter 26-06).United States program · faa.gov
- 30 Jul 2026Milestone Reported as being installed and tested under real conditions
- Jul 2026Milestone Full services targeted
- Jul 2026Milestone Control testing for Winter Haven scheduled to begin
- 25 Jun 2026Contract or announcement Indra announces deployment of the multi-airport centre
- 29 Apr 2026Contract or announcement Military and Aerospace Electronics reports an FAA request for proposals for remote tower systems, a potential 50 units over five years, responses due 26 June 2026.United States program · militaryaerospace.com
- 22 Apr 2026Contract or announcement Digital Tower Technology Coalition announces its priorities.United States program · backend.ainonline.com
- 12 Feb 2026Milestone Navy helicopter flight calibrates and validates the camera feeds; CASA reviewing safety cases
- 11 Feb 2026Go-live Reported operating fully remotely
- Jan 2026Milestone Active control testing planned
- 2026Go-live Digital apron management due to go live
2025
- 10 Dec 2025Go-live Reported operational; early operations in low-traffic hours with a conventional controller on standby
- 1 Dec 2025Go-live Searidge and AIN report the virtual tower in operational service
- 27 Oct 2025Milestone Local reporting on a digital tower plan
- 27 Aug 2025Approval AIN: FAA tests systems at the Technical Center and selected RTX-Frequentis for design approval evaluation; no approvals issued yet.United States program · backend.ainonline.com
- 10 Jul 2025Contract or announcement Saab Digital Tower selected
- 5 Jun 2025Go-live Reported live and operational
- Jun 2025Milestone Operations planned to launch
- 4 Apr 2025Contract or announcement Order reported
- Apr 2025Go-live 14 airports operated from the centre
- Apr 2025Go-live Digital tower in service (Avinor implementation list)
- 26 Feb 2025Contract or announcement Announced
- 19 Feb 2025Contract or announcement Support and maintenance contract concluded
- 6 Feb 2025Approval FAA page states remote tower systems are not currently approved for use in the NAS and lists no system design approval.United States program · faa.gov
- 2025Milestone Remote tower simulator and test environment commissioned at Schiphol-Oost
- 2025Milestone Frequentis installation (project March 2023 to November 2025)
- 2025Milestone Building completed
2024
- Dec 2024Milestone Airport project page marks the project complete
- 28 Nov 2024Milestone Opening ceremony
- Nov 2024Milestone Services partly provided from the centre
- 18 Aug 2024Ended or delayed Camera feeds to Arad fail for about three hours; airspace around Brașov closed that evening, service restored about 22:30
- 24 Jun 2024Contract or announcement Kongsberg Geospatial framework contract announced
- Jun 2024Milestone Remote Tower System Technical Requirements draft v5.0.United States program · faa.gov
- 31 May 2024Go-live Digital Tower Test Centre unveiled
- 16 May 2024Approval FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 signed. Reason summarizes Section 621: a defined design and operational approval process within 180 days, briefings through September 2028, and eligibility under the Contract Tower Program.United States program · reason.org
- 5 Mar 2024Contract or announcement Airservices announces the digital tower
- 5 Mar 2024Contract or announcement Airservices announces a purpose-built digital aerodrome service for Western Sydney
- 5 Mar 2024Contract or announcement Centre announced for Western Sydney
2023
- Nov 2023Ended or delayed Colorado DOT says the FAA terminated the Northern Colorado project in late 2023 after the vendor stopped work.United States program · codot.gov
- 3 Oct 2023Contract or announcement Announced
- Oct 2023Milestone Validation under way
- 19 Aug 2023Milestone ŘLP chief says remote tower in Ostrava targeted within two to three years
- 15 Jun 2023Go-live Flights began under remote air traffic control
- 15 Jun 2023Go-live Remote air traffic service begins; first flight lands at Brașov
- Jun 2023Ended or delayed FAA discontinued the remote tower program
- Jun 2023Ended or delayed FAA discontinues the remote tower program at Leesburg.United States program · leesburgva.gov
- Apr 2023Go-live First airport served from the Tallinn centre
- 16 Mar 2023Milestone FAA vendor information meeting on remote towers.United States program · faa.gov
- Mar 2023Milestone New Indra modular remote tower centre in factory acceptance
- Feb 2023Go-live Digital tower in service (Avinor implementation list)
- 10 Jan 2023Go-live Operational Visual Requirements draft v2.1.United States program · faa.gov
- Jan 2023Go-live Digital tower in service (Avinor implementation list)
- Jan 2023Contract or announcement SESAR grant announced for a demonstration
- 2023Ended or delayed FAA terminated the project after the vendor left
2022
- 21 Sep 2022Milestone Reported plan to replace the 1980s tower
- 21 Sep 2022Milestone skyguide plans a virtual tower for Geneva (vendor and date not stated)
- 1 Sep 2022Milestone ŘLP confirms it is considering a remote tower for the airport
- Sep 2022Go-live Digital tower in service (Avinor implementation list)
- 24 Aug 2022Ended or delayed Project cancelled
- 22 Jun 2022Milestone Phase one passed acceptance testing
- 13 Jun 2022Go-live Inaugurated
- Jun 2022Go-live Digital tower in service (Avinor implementation list)
- Jun 2022Contract or announcement DSNA selects Frequentis smartVISION
- Jun 2022Go-live Selected; first tower due to go live end of 2023
- 28 Apr 2022Go-live Remote operation began
- 28 Feb 2022Contract or announcement OKI announces delivery of the RVA-19 system to the Civil Aviation Bureau
- 24 Feb 2022Milestone Cybernetica sells its ATM remote tower technology; Adacel takes over
- 18 Feb 2022Milestone Draft Advisory Circular v3.0 for non-federal remote tower systems.United States program · faa.gov
- 8 Feb 2022Contract or announcement Saab receives order for the digital tower (customer: UTI-led consortium; ROMATSA operates the service)
- 2022Ended or delayed Centralised Base programme postponed (capacity and permit delays)
2021
- 1 Dec 2021Milestone Connected to RTC Stockholm
- 1 Oct 2021Go-live Remote RADIO operation from Naha begins (Japan's first)
- Sep 2021Milestone Remote tower optical system installed
- 1 Jun 2021Go-live Centre opened
- 1 Apr 2021Go-live Operational Safety Assessment v2.7 published (Allocation Report v1.3 follows 16 Sep 2021).United States program · faa.gov
- Feb 2021Contract or announcement Saab order for Predannack announced
- 2021Milestone Connected to RTC Stockholm
- 2021Go-live Switched to remote ATC (first major airport)
2020
- Nov 2020Go-live Digital tower in service (Avinor implementation list)
- Nov 2020Contract or announcement Aena selects Searidge and FerroNATS
- Oct 2020Go-live Digital tower in service (Avinor implementation list)
- Oct 2020Contract or announcement Kongsberg selected to supply the remote tower system (delivery expected 2021)
- 22 May 2020Milestone China Express flight controlled remotely from Urumqi in what Aviation Week called China's first remote tower operation
- 7 Apr 2020Milestone FAA publishes Remote Tower Systems Concept of Operations v1.0.United States program · faa.gov
- Feb 2020Contract or announcement Naviair selects integrated remote tower and approach centre
2019
- Dec 2019Go-live Opened without a conventional tower
- Dec 2019Contract or announcement SDATS contract
- 15 Nov 2019Contract or announcement Airservices selects Searidge for a prototype digital tower at Sydney
- 21 Oct 2019Milestone Frequentis reports the remote tower installed at Santa Cruz
- 18 Oct 2019Milestone smartVISION system installed
- Oct 2019Go-live First digital tower (Røst) in service
- Oct 2019Go-live Digital tower in service (Avinor implementation list)
- 22 Aug 2019Contract or announcement Frequentis announces the system
- 27 Feb 2019Contract or announcement Airways awards Frequentis the contract for the first New Zealand digital tower
2018
- 13 Dec 2018Go-live Digital ATC centre opened (first in the UK)
- 4 Dec 2018Milestone First remote landing clearance (Saarbrücken)
- 4 Dec 2018Go-live Remote operation began; about 450 km from Leipzig
- 2018Go-live Remote tower air traffic services began
- 2018Milestone Air traffic services at Leesburg begin through the FAA remote tower program.United States program · leesburgva.gov
2017
- 30 Nov 2017Contract or announcement Prototype digital tower trial announced at Auckland
- 2017Milestone Remote tower operations launched
2016
- Jun 2016Go-live Remote tower trials began
- Jun 2016Milestone Multiple remote tower trial from Dublin
- 9 Mar 2016Contract or announcement DSNA selects Searidge's remote tower for Miquelon, to be controlled from Saint-Pierre
- 2016Go-live EANS starts the remote tower project with Cybernetica
2015
- 1 Oct 2015Contract or announcement Selected as FAA test site
- 1 Oct 2015Contract or announcement Colorado announces Northern Colorado Regional as an FAA remote tower test site.United States program · en.wikipedia.org
- Jun 2015Milestone Test in summer 2015
- Jun 2015Milestone Leesburg Executive Airport tests a remote tower system (summer 2015).United States program · en.wikipedia.org
- Apr 2015Go-live H24 remote operation began at Örnsköldsvik
- Apr 2015Go-live H24 remote operation began
2014
- Oct 2014Approval Operational approval
2012
- 2012Milestone Trial run; network capability judged inadequate for a service
2011
- 1 Jun 2011Contract or announcement Saab and Airservices sign contract for a remote tower trial controlled from Adelaide
2009
- 2009Go-live Contingency facility unveiled