London City becomes world’s first major airport with remote air traffic control

London City has become the first major airport in Britian without a staffed air traffic control tower, following two years of testing. Pilots using the Docklands airport this summer will instead be directed by air traffic controllers based 80 miles away at Swanwick in rural Hampshire, which is the headquarters for the air navigation provider, Nats.

The controllers will be able to access a 165-foot digital control tower adjacent to the runway to guide pilots, which is fitted with 14 high-definition cameras and two ultra-powerful zoom camera, which can magnify images up to 30 times for close inspection.