| Summary: | Air traffic control and how it is organized is about to change. In Sweden, the Air Traffic Navigation Services (Luftfartsverket) together with SAAB have developed an alternative to traditional air traffic control; Remote Tower Services (RTS). RTS means that a digital tower with multiple cameras is placed at the airport instead of a traditional air traffic control tower. The air traffic controllers control the traffic via a Remote Tower Center (RTC), often situated several miles from the airport. 2015, as the first country in the world, the Air Traffic Navigation Services together with SAAB launched RTS in Sweden at Örnsköldsviks airport which operates from a RTC in Sundsvall. In the forthcoming years RTS is about to be implemented at four Swedish airports. Using Everett Rogers theory of diffusion and theories of public-private partnership this paper examines RTS as an innovation. The study is based on qualitative interviews with representatives from the Air Traffic Navigation Services, Swedavia and Swedish Pilot Association.The study shows that RTS as an innovation can be seen as a consequence of the deregulation of the air traffic control market in 2010 whereas digitalization is another contributing factor. The study also shows that the implementation of RTS can be seen as unilateral. There have been deliberative elements with municipalities and other actors but some of these elements have been symbolic.
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