{"id":852845,"date":"2026-08-10T10:30:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T10:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/852845\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T10:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T10:30:22","slug":"how-the-future-of-air-traffic-controlling-could-see-planes-directed-from-other-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/852845\/","title":{"rendered":"How the future of air traffic controlling could see planes directed from other cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Nav Canada\u2019s Dave Sheppard saw towers popping up at airports abroad that were packed with new technology and devoid of physical staff, he had one thought: this is the future. <\/p>\n

“When you hear the concept of the model, it seems a little bit far out there,” said Sheppard, the chief technology officer for the not-for-profit corporation that oversees Canada’s air traffic controllers.<\/p>\n

“But \u2026 we looked at it and said, you know, this is a great fit for Canada.\u201d <\/p>\n

After years of testing cameras under intense Canadian climates, working to reassure staff of the benefits and getting the ball rolling on regulatory approvals, it seems like the future is now.<\/p>\n

The newly completed digital aerodrome air traffic control tower in Kingston, Ont., is the first of its kind in Canada. <\/p>\n

It’s topped with a camera that rotates around it, and others which can pan, tilt and zoom in on potential obstacles.<\/p>\n

\"AnA drone image shows the digital aerodrome air traffic control tower being erected at the airport in Kingston. It’s the first of its kind in Canada. (Nav Canada)<\/p>\n

Also at the airport is a new digital control centre, where people can direct traffic by remotely monitoring information fed from the tower.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The next step is building a similar tower in Hamilton, to be monitored by staff 150 kilometres away at the Kingston facility. Eventually, air traffic controllers for 10 to 15 airports could all be stationed at the eastern Ontario site.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sheppard says the move will provide a new level of flexibility at a time of global staffing pressures, while allowing air controllers to see more than they ever have.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The union representing these workers, though, is bracing for turbulence. <\/p>\n

Canada still 200 controllers short of target<\/p>\n

The global shortage of air traffic controllers worsened significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which rocked the aviation industry.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been blamed for delayed or cancelled flights<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some have also questioned if even more serious staffing pressures in the United States have contributed to deadly incidents, like the fatal March 2026 collision involving a fire truck and an Air Canada plane<\/a> at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Nav Canada remains about 200 people short of staffing targets, the organization says it’s quickly filling the gap through a ramped-up training regime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis allows us to bring people in and actually recruit individuals into a location that’s central where they would like to stay and live and work,” Sheppard said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s what Nav Canada says led them to station the pilot project in Kingston, a community he also says has a healthy pool of qualified talent.<\/p>\n

Once it’s fully set up, Nav Canada should be able to more easily fill unexpected absences that could impact service because trained backfill options are a workstation \u2014 not a city \u2014 away. <\/p>\n

\"TwelveA row of 12 screens replace windows in a remote air traffic monitoring console. Controllers can control cameras to zoom in on aircraft or possible obstructions. (Nav Canada)Union closely watching the transition<\/p>\n

But the big idea requires buy-in from its labour force, and the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association (CATCA) has some concerns.<\/p>\n

Union president Nick von Schoenberg called it a \u201csignificant shift,\u201d one he feels could provide equivalent service but doesn\u2019t seem poised to make travel safer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The industry is facing a \u201cdemographic bubble,” von Schoenberg said, with many controllers nearing the end of their careers.<\/p>\n

Some may choose to leave the field altogether rather than uproot their families, he said.<\/p>\n

“Even if that attrition is only … 10 or 20 per cent, we can’t afford to lose a single air traffic controller right now in Canada,” von Schoenberg said.<\/p>\n

\"AirNew technology would allow air traffic controllers to see three times further than with binoculars, but the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association says seeing and hearing their surroundings helps controllers work. (Sarah Krymalowski\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Von Schoenberg also raised a raft of potential questions, both technical and on a human level.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[This involves] replacing an existing model that has been demonstrated to work very well, and that comes at a cost \u2014 a financial and human resource cost,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think [that’s] probably the wisest strategy in the near term.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Nav Canada has been \u201copen and transparent\u201d through the process, von Schoenberg said many still worry what will happen should the technology fail.<\/p>\n

\"TwoKongsberg Geospatial president Jordan Freed, left, and Nav Canada’s Dave Sheppard, right, stand in front of a console showing an infrared view of an airport. (Francis Ferland\/CBC)What is the technology like?<\/p>\n

The new tower at Kingston is obviously different from a traditional control tower with a bulbous top ringed by windows.<\/p>\n

Rather than sitting in the middle of things, controllers are stationed at remote workspaces behind 12 large screens positioned in a gentle curve \u2014 providing a flattened, 360-degree view.<\/p>\n

Kongsberg Geospatial, Nav Canada\u2019s project partner, is deploying technology already used by its parent company in Norway.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis technology significantly improves safety from an air traffic control perspective,\u201d argued president Jordan Freed.<\/p>\n

New features allow controllers to toggle to an infrared view, handy during low-vision weather and at night. Moving objects are highlighted and tracked so they can zoom in to investigate.<\/p>\n

“We’re seeing the development and implementation of AI into more and more technology,” said Freed. <\/p>\n

The system “can continue to learn” as it’s used, he said, becoming better at identifying aircraft, weather patterns and potential dangers.<\/p>\n

Both Nav Canada and CATCA stress that any artificial intelligence used will leave humans firmly in the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n

\"AnNew remote monitoring stations for air traffic controllers highlight a potential danger. This recording from an airport in Norway shows a group of birds near a runway. (Francis Ferland\/CBC)The new global standard?<\/p>\n

Experts say this move has been a long time coming and is certain to benefit the sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cTen years from now, it’ll be the standard,\u201d said John Gradek, an aviation expert at McGill University.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The technology is much more efficient, Gradek said, and closer to what air traffic controllers already do than people might think.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Nav Canada is doing with this technology is adding a toolkit. It’s not changing the fundamental jobs of air traffic control,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you’re managing St. Thomas or London or Sarnia or Windsor from one seat, you’re still managing airspace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ManJordan Freed stands in front of a digital aerodrome air traffic control monitoring station showing a feed from a remote airport in Norway. Freed argues the technology ‘improves safety from an air traffic control perspective.’ (Francis Ferland\/CBC)<\/p>\n

The technology is already being used in well over a dozen nations, including at the London City Airport in the United Kingdom. <\/p>\n

It’s also in place at the Bod\u00f8 Airport in Norway. Freed says the country has used this new form of remote work to expand air service to isolated areas where it\u2019s hard to attract skilled workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you can bring them into a larger city. You can actually have a team. There’s not two people working remotely, but there’s a whole team,\u201d he said. \u201cIn fact, the first thing that strikes you when you walk into the Bod\u00f8 centre is how young the team of air traffic controllers are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Von Schoenberg argues that this is the direction Canada should be moving in: expanding service, rather than replacing existing towers. <\/p>\n

But with Hamilton topping the list of planned airports, the union leader says it’s clear that’s not on Canada’s trajectory \u2014 or at least, not yet.<\/p>\n

How to ensure it’s safe<\/p>\n

Nav Canada is right now focused on the many Canadian control towers built in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s that need to be replaced or significantly renovated.<\/p>\n

Sheppard says expanding the scope of its work geographically is far in the future, but it remains a goal. <\/p>\n

When Canada is ready to add air traffic control to areas where none exist, building a remotely monitored digital aerodrome tower will be much faster, easier and cheaper, he said.<\/p>\n

What’s mainly holding the group back is connectivity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AA traditional air traffic control tower, like this one in Ottawa, involves controllers monitoring airspace through large windows. (Francis Ferland\/CBC)<\/p>\n

To build safety and redundancy into the system, Sheppard says there should be two telecommunications service providers. That is not yet the reality in many isolated communities.<\/p>\n

As for other failsafes, Nav Canada says the towers come with backup power and extra cameras in case one breaks or becomes obscured. Each remote-control station also has a full backup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s still a lot of testing to come.<\/p>\n

Starting this fall, a shadow team of air traffic controllers will spend a year at remote stations on site.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once the concept has been proven safe and regulatory approvals are secured, Nav Canada will begin the transition in Hamilton.<\/p>\n

CBC reached out to Transport Canada to find out more about the process and how it\u2019s addressing any potential concerns about automation in the industry. It did not provide a response by deadline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Nav Canada\u2019s Dave Sheppard saw towers popping up at airports abroad that were packed with new technology…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":852846,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,44],"class_list":["post-852845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=852845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/852846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=852845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=852845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=852845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}