AAI is set to use remote air traffic control to guide flights at small airports. The first of such move is to happen in Ahmedabad airport to control Surat airport by December 2018. Next, Remote and Virtual Tower (RVT) in Chennai is likely to control airport of Salem, Kadapa and Puducherry airports. Similarly, a remote tower at the Thiruvananthapuram airport for handling planes at Agatti in Lakshadweep islands is also on the radar. The plan is in its initial stage but discussions are going on to have a remote ATC tower in Chennai to handle aircraft at the three small airports where there may be one or two services a day. The idea is to avoid building a tower and station controllers, and keeping a maintenance team at small airports. AAI will be able to cut cost by adopting this system. It is not feasible to post controllers and build ATC towers at these small airports. A remote tower will be as good as a controller sitting on site at the airport. High resolution cameras will capture all parts of the operational area and will transmit images live to the remote tower. Controllers can zoom and see obstacles.
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