At Brindisi Airport, ENAV – the company that manages civil air traffic in Italy – inaugurated the first remotely managed control tower in Italy, in the presence, among others, of Enrico Giovannini, Minister of sustainable infrastructures and mobility, Michele Emiliano, President of the Region of Puglia, Riccardo Rossi, Mayor of the city of Brindisi, Pierluigi Di Palma, President of ENAC (Italian Civil Aviation Authority) and Antonio Maria Vasile, Chairman of Aeroporti di Puglia (company responsible for the management of Puglia Airports).

Innovation for the aviation sector and territories

Thanks to cutting-edge hardware and software systems, the new Remote Digital Tower enables air traffic controllers to manage take-off, landing and ground operations from a Remote Tower Module (RTM) that can also be located many kilometers away from the airport.

Internally the RTM, air traffic controllers have a better view than the conventional one and a series of supporting tools for air traffic management, increasing safety and operational efficiency of the airport. The exact replication of the 360° of the panorama visible from a traditional control tower is ensured by 18 fixed cameras that report the images on 13 high-definition monitors positioned inside the digital tower. Camera images are integrated to other data which allow the detection and traceability of moving objects and vehicles directly in the visual presentation of the panorama, with levels of precision and accuracy higher than those of the human eye.

Through the implementation of the Remote & Digital Tower, included in the Future Sky 2031 Strategic Plan, ENAV will transform the airspace management infrastructure and methods of  air navigation service provision. The introduction of remote control towers will extend – for example – the 24-hour air traffic control services, entailing positive effects on tourism and cargo traffic. The management of multiple remote control towers at a single operational center will become a reality within a few years, and ENAV will manage take-offs, landings and ground operations more efficiently, with benefits for airlines, airports and territories.

ENAV Chairman Francesca Isgrò said: Brindisi digital tower is the result of the joint work of ENAV people: technical, operational experts and managers supported by a Board of Directors who, from the very day of the installation, had a clear-cut view of ​​the strategic importance of ENAV development projects. On behalf of ENAV Group, I would like to thank the Minister of sustainable infrastructures and mobility and the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), who have followed and supported this project throughout the process.

ENAC CEO Paolo Simioni said: Today we are not only inaugurating an operational structure, but we are following up and implementing the digitization and innovation process that ENAV is realizing to renew the air navigation services completely. Our goal is to make airspace increasingly efficient, an indispensable infrastructure to strive the development of local economy and to balance the growth at national level. Thanks to new technologies and high level expertise of our people, we are improving services without additional costs for users.