Airports
First Digital Tower in the UK Goes Active
The university hopes to transition exclusively to the digital control tower in six months, when it can close the visual tower.
The Cranfield digital control center presents a 360-degree view of the airfield and its environs.  Note the dimming applied to two screens in the center to minimize the glare from the low winter sun. (Photo: David Donald)
The Cranfield digital control center presents a 360-degree view of the airfield and its environs. Note the dimming applied to two screens in the center to minimize the glare from the low winter sun. (Photo: David Donald)

On December 13, the UK’s aviation minister, Baroness Liz Sugg, formally opened the digital air traffic control center at Cranfield University airfield in Bedfordshire. In the early afternoon, the center handled its first live air traffic, marking the first time in the UK that an aircraft had been controlled from an all-digital “tower.”