Paying for a digital tower
No supplier on this list publishes a price list, and this page does not guess one. Here is what drives the cost, what each supplier does publish, and where an operator can look for funding.
What drives the cost
Ask every supplier to quote the same scope against these six items, so the quotes compare.
What is built on the field
A conventional tower is a building with a cab, access, utilities and life-safety systems. A digital tower is a mast, a foundation pad and sensors. The size of what is built drives construction cost, siting work and upkeep.
Sensors and coverage
The number of cameras and masts depends on the airfield's layout and sightlines. Some projects add masts at runway thresholds; others cover the field from one mast. Extra inputs, such as radar tracks, add cost and capability.
Data link and power
A digital tower needs power and a reliable, secure link to the controller station. Where fiber already reaches the field, this is simpler. Ask what redundancy the supplier requires.
Siting and approvals
Any structure on an airport goes through FAA siting and an obstruction evaluation (14 CFR Part 77), and the system itself needs FAA approval before it provides air traffic control. Studies and coordination take time and budget.
Staffing
Controllers are the largest recurring cost of any tower, digital or not. A digital tower changes where they work and can let one controller serve a field without anyone on site. Who employs them, and for which hours, shapes the annual budget more than the hardware does.
Maintenance and software
Cameras, masts and radios need upkeep over decades, and software needs updates. Ask whether maintenance and updates are included, for how long, and how fast repairs are made.
What the suppliers publish
From each supplier's public pages, checked on . Each option's page links the sources.
| Option | Public cost information |
|---|---|
| General Aviation | States that its hardware, installation and support cost 60–95% less than a conventional tower's capital cost. No price list; ask for a quote for your airport. |
| Searidge Technologies | No prices found on its public pages. Ask the supplier for a quote. |
| Saab Digital Tower | No prices found on its public pages. Ask the supplier for a quote. |
| Frequentis remote tower | No prices found on its public pages. Ask the supplier for a quote. |
| Conventional staffed tower | Project-specific. Look at FAA and airport capital planning records for comparable towers; your Airports District Office can point you to them. |
FAA grant routes and other funding
Eligibility depends on your airport, the project and the program's current rules. Start with your FAA Airports District Office; these are the routes to ask about.
Airport Improvement Program (AIP)
The FAA's AIP provides grants to public agencies, and in some cases private owners, for planning and development at public-use airports in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). What is eligible, and the federal share, are set out in the AIP Handbook.
Ask your FAA Airports District Office how a digital tower, or the work around it, would be treated, and get it into your Airports Capital Improvement Plan early.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law airport programs
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) funds Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG), and through it the FAA Contract Tower Competitive Grant Program, which makes annual grants to eligible airports for airport-owned air traffic control tower projects. Check what your airport is eligible for and whether a digital tower project qualifies.
FAA Contract Tower Program
Under the FAA Contract Tower (FCT) Program, contractors provide tower services at participating airports. The FAA says AIP grants can be considered for the construction or equipment of a tower approved to enter the program, and towers already in it whose costs exceed their benefits can stay through a Cost Share Program, with the local sponsor paying a share of operating cost. Ask the FAA how this applies to a digital tower at your field.
State aviation programs
Your state's aviation office may run its own grant programs alongside federal ones. Ask what it funds, whether it helps with the local share of a federal grant, and on what timeline.
A sensible order of steps
- Write down what you need covered: which hours, which traffic, and whether this is new service or backup.
- Ask two or more suppliers for a quote on the same scope, using the six cost drivers above.
- Talk to your FAA Airports District Office about the project, its eligibility and the approvals it needs.
- Settle who will staff the controller position and how that is paid for.
- Put the project into your Airports Capital Improvement Plan and your state aviation office's plans.
Get a quote for your airport
General Aviation, the top-ranked option, quotes per airport. Tell it about your field and what you need covered.