On 17 December 2021, Avinor ANS signed a contract with Edda Systems AS for the delivery of an ATC tower simulator for remote towers. The delivery will take place in the first half of 2022.

The eCoach simulator will accurately emulate the operational remote towers solution currently in use in Bodø, Norway, for 15 airports in the first delivery. The simulator will also be capable of multi-mode operations, where a single operator is responsible for up to three airports at the same time using the same working position. A switching mechanism allows operational working positions in the contingency centre to be used for training purposes.

Simulator pilot working positions will be installed both locally in Bodø, and remotely at Værnes, 460 km away.

The system is based on the Edda Systems Cloud simulation technology, enabling remote operations to/from any location with an internet connection. The simulator thus enables remote piloting and training, giving organisations the ability to provide remote training concepts for delivering and executing their training services.

This reduces the need for travel, enables Covid-19 pandemic mitigation, and ensures optimal use of an organisation’s personnel resources. Training activities, students and instructors can be located at different sites, yet still in one virtual training centre, which gives all participants the experience of being co-located.