The Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation has approve the kingdom’s first virtual air traffic control (ATC) tower at AlUla airport.
Traffic at the airport will now be monitored remotely by a centre at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, more than 600 kilometres away. The virtual tower was developed by the Saudi Air Navigation Service (SANS) in partnership with Spanish ATC specialist Indra.
Not only is the tower the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia, it is also the only one in operation across the Middle East. Equipped with 360-degree cameras, specialist sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI), the new system offers improved efficiency while reducing burden on airport staff.
An ancient oasis city in the heart of the desert, the Saudi Arabian government has launched plans to boost AlUla’s tourism credentials. A new strategy hopes to attract 2 million tourists to the town by 2030, contributing SAR120 billion to the national economy. The virtual ATC tower improves safety and traffic flow to optimise management of visitors arriving by air. AlUla Airport currently handles around 400,000 passengers a year, with plans to increase that number to 6 million.
The approval of the virtual ATC tower also aligns with Saudi Arabia’s aviation modernisation strategy. The Vision 2030 plan targets 300 million air passengers by 2030, numbers that analysts at OAG have warned will be difficult to achieve due to the limited availability of qualified staff. The virtual ATC tower allows for operations at AlUla to expand without requiring further recruitment.
Initially designed with small- to medium-sized airports in mind, virtual ATC towers have been introduced at several key airports in recent years, notably London City Airport in 2021. The SESAR Joint Undertaking is also considering remote and virtual tower (RVT) concepts as part of its plans to consolidate European aerospace operations.
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