First digital air traffic control towers go live in US, starting in Florida and Alaska

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that the first digital air traffic control towers in the country are officially operational. The new technology has first been introduced at smaller airports in Florida and Alaska.

The systems are now online at Bartow Executive Airport (KBOW) in Florida and Kenai Municipal Airport (PAEN) in Alaska. Five more regional airports are slated to receive the technology next.

The digital towers use advanced camera systems and digital displays. According to the agency, they give controllers a continuous 360-degree view of airport operations, including runways, taxiways and surrounding airspace.

The FAA says the technology is not intended to replace human controllers. Instead, it is designed to give controllers greater visibility and additional information to help them carry out their existing duties.

In a statement, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said, “Our air traffic controllers continue to do the critical job of keeping aircraft safely separated, and we’re giving them better technology to do that.” He added that digital towers would provide controllers with greater visibility of airport activity and more information for critical decisions.

Bedford is scheduled to appear before the House transportation and infrastructure committee next week, where he will face questions about the progress and challenges of the administration’s $12.5bn modernisation initiative.

The effort aims to replace decades-old equipment still used throughout the aviation system, including copper telecommunications lines, floppy disks and paper strips used to track aircraft.

Congress approved $12.5bn over five years in June 2025 to support air traffic control reforms. The Trump administration is seeking another $30bn from the legislature for further improvements.

Concerns about the types of technology being implemented in air traffic control have also been growing. In September, the FAA rolled out a new artificial intelligence software tool called the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (Smart).

Trump has been heavily criticised for his response to a national shortage of air traffic controllers following last year’s government shutdown.

Staffing levels in control towers and many related aspects of US air safety systems have been under especially close scrutiny since a midair collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter on the outskirts of Washington DC in 2025 that killed 67 people. It was the deadliest crash in the US for more than 20 years, and the authorities later deemed it “100% preventable”.