Airports
Colorado Airport's Remote Tower on Life Support
A remote tower project at Northern Colorado Regional Airport is in limbo after the FAA changed the process to certify the equipment.
remote tower at Northern Colorado Regional Airport
The Searidge-supplied remote tower at the Northern Colorado Regional Airport is in limbo until the FAA can establish a path to certification for the system. (Photo: Colorado Department of Transportation)

The Colorado Department of Transportation aims to keep a remote tower operating at Northern Colorado Regional Airport (KFNL) if a path to FAA certification surfaces. Searidge Technologies is supplying the remote tower equipment at KFNL and also at London Heathrow (EGLL), Hong Kong International (HKIA), and Singapore Changi (WSSS) airports. The FAA said the Searidge system at KFNL is “under evaluation.”

“We will be able to save it if Searidge can provide the required system design approval documents and the FAA supports the KFNL system,” said Bill Payne, who is managing the project for the Colorado DOT. “It will be a shame if the system does not complete the certification process after the state invested $8.8 million and the FAA did four years of testing.”