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FAA puts digital air traffic control towers into operation at Florida and Alaska airports
New digital air traffic control towers now serve Bartow Executive and Kenai Municipal Airports, with five more planned to enhance safety and modernize monitoring.
The gist
FAA launches digital air traffic control towers at two US airports, expanding controller coverage with advanced technology.
Continuing coverage
All Faa →The Federal Aviation Administration has activated new digital air traffic control towers at two airports—Bartow Executive Airport in Florida and Kenai Municipal Airport in Alaska. These systems combine an array of cameras and digital displays to provide air traffic controllers a comprehensive 360-degree view of runway and airspace operations from a ground-based building, representing a significant technological shift from traditional brick-and-mortar towers.
Developed by Frequentis, whose system was the first to earn FAA design approval, the digital towers offer controllers enhanced situational awareness. At Kenai Municipal Airport, the existing conventional tower remains in place as a backup while the FAA evaluates the digital system's operational performance. The transition marks a milestone within the agency's ongoing air traffic control modernization program.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has played a role as a subject matter expert during the FAA's safety review of digital towers managing multiple runway operations. David Boulter, AOPA's Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, emphasized that digital towers are a pivotal advancement for aviation safety and modernization, applauding the FAA's efforts to adopt the new technology for safer skies.
Looking beyond the initial deployments, five additional airports are slated to receive similar digital tower systems soon. These airports currently have no air traffic control towers, so adding digital towers is expected to deliver significant safety benefits for pilots who use these facilities. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy highlighted that replacing existing towers nationwide with conventional structures could take up to 300 years under present funding levels, illustrating the urgent need for digital solutions.
The digital towers promise a more efficient, cost-effective path for delivering air traffic services at busy and previously uncontrolled airports. For example, Montgomery County Airpark plans to install a digital tower system in a repurposed former commercial gym building. This initiative awaits final approvals including from the airport authority board, county officials, FAA environmental review, and airspace designation before commissioning.
AOPA recognizes these digital towers as especially promising for airports in the FAA Contract Tower Program (FCT), where towers are staffed by private contractors funded partly or fully by the FAA. Since airport owners often bear facility costs, the FAA's approval of Frequentis' system enables these airports to leverage federal Airport Improvement Program funds to acquire digital towers, potentially easing the capital expense burden.
Nevertheless, there are operational and financial considerations for airports and pilots. Digital towers at uncontrolled fields require reclassification to Class D airspace, mandating pilots establish two-way radio contact with controllers before entering. Additionally, in cases where airports fund digital tower operations without FCT eligibility, ongoing maintenance and staffing costs fall to the airport, potentially resulting in higher fees for users.
Boulter stressed the importance of consistent and adequate FAA funding not only for initial installations but also to cover ongoing operational expenses. He advocates for expanding the Contract Tower Program so that the FAA shoulders maintenance and staffing costs, preventing financial strain on airports and avoiding additional fees for general aviation communities. This funding model is seen as essential for sustainable deployment of digital towers nationwide.
Frequently asked questions
- Which airports currently have operational digital air traffic control towers?
- Bartow Executive Airport in Florida and Kenai Municipal Airport in Alaska have operational digital air traffic control towers deployed by the FAA.
- What technological features do the FAA's digital towers use to monitor airport operations?
- The digital towers employ an array of cameras and digital displays to provide controllers a 360-degree view of runways, taxiways, and surrounding airspace from a ground-based facility.
- What are some funding and operational challenges associated with installing digital towers at airports?
- Airports must manage costs for maintenance and controller staffing, especially if not part of the FAA Contract Tower Program; they also need to handle airspace reclassification and may face new service fees.
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All Regulatory →
FAA orders nationwide ground stop after communication failures at all ARTCCs
The FAA has ordered a national ground stop due to “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” It is the second time since the 9/11 attacks that the agency has ordered a ground stop at all airports. The previous instance was in January 2023 following the failure of the Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) system . “The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers,” the agency said in a statement Friday afternoon. “FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide updates.” Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs) provide aircraft separation, traffic sequencing, routing assistance, and airspace coordination services to aircraft operating on IFR flight plans within controlled airspace, primarily during the en route phase of flight. They are divided into sectors, each handled by one or a team of air traffic controllers. There are 22 ARTCCs in the U.S. The @FAAnews issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them. — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 13, 2026 Per an Air Traffic Control System Command Center advisory from the FAA: "Due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety. Attention all aircraft operators, by order of the Federal Aviation Command Center all airports are ground stopped. All departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice. Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis." An unnamed airline source told CNN that the communications issues originated from a problem with network routers. A controller at William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU) in Houston said at 4:13 p.m. EST that “our update time is 7 hours and 15 minutes from now,” or around 11:30 p.m. Airlines Weigh In “Flights already in the air can continue to their destinations,” a spokesperson for American Airlines told FLYING . “We expect disruption to our schedule for the rest of the day, depending on the length of the FAA's nationwide ground stop. It will be all hands on deck across American to get customers on their way as soon as possible when the FAA lifts this ground stop.” Southwest Airlines said it is “engaged with the FAA and is making operational adjustments across our network in compliance with the nationwide groundstop,” adding that it will provide updates on a dedicated webpage . “We recognize the disruption this may cause for our Customers and their travel plans, and our Teams are working to minimize impacts wherever possible,” the carrier said in a statement. Controllers Nationwide Report Ground Stop Air traffic controllers across the U.S. reported the ground stop. A ground controller at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) was one of the first to report the disruption, telling the pilot of a Southwest Airlines airplane that "we went into a national ground stop, all aircraft, with update unknown." The transmission was made a little after 3:30 p.m. EST. "Are you saying national, like Reagan National [Airport], or national the whole country?" another pilot asked a few minutes later. "Across all en route facilities they're having communication issues, so ground stop for all aircraft, with update time unknown," the controller replied. Elsewhere, a controller at Minneapolis-St. Paul International (KMSP) said at 3:44 p.m. EST that "all airports are ground stopped until 22:00 Zulu for a nationwide outage." 22:00 Zulu translates to 5 p.m. EST. Ground Stop Comes Amid ATC Modernization Effort The FAA is undertaking a multibillion-dollar effort to modernize the nation’s ATC systems, called the Brand New ATC System (BNATCS). Goals of the project include replacing and upgrading thousands of radars, radios, voice switches, facilities, and other hardware and software across the country. It is also deploying new electronic flight strips, surface awareness tools, and other equipment. As of November 5, the FAA said it had installed Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) systems at 143 towers, transitioned 26 towers from paper to electronic flight strips, and installed 226 new voice switches. The agency has also replaced nearly 70 percent of the copper wiring that carries ATC radar and communications data with fiber, satellite, and digital connections. The FAA maintains a website that tracks progress on BNATCS. One portion of the ATC modernization effort involves the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories, or SMART, system. The AI-powered, cloud-based platform was rolled out to all of the nation’s ARTCCs earlier this week and is based out of a center in Washington, D.C. SMART centralizes about 200 data streams—including weather patterns, flight paths, traffic flow, and controller staffing metrics—into one platform. FAA personnel in Washington, D.C. use the information to make scheduling recommendations that are routed to air traffic controllers, who can accept or decline them. The system was initially deployed in the Washington, D.C. area in September. Air Space Intelligence, the firm the FAA contracted to develop SMART, said Friday that the communications issues at ARTCCs are “not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI, or our integration with FAA and ATC.” This is a developing story.
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