Artificial Intelligence is being trialled at Heathrow airport to speed up delays caused by bad weather.
The airport will use 20 ultra-high-definition cameras connected to an AI system which will tell air traffic controllers when planes have cleared the runway.
The AI trial is part of a 拢2.5 million investment by NATS (National Air Traffic Services) in a digital tower laboratory located inside Heathrow’s tower.
As the UK鈥檚 highest control tower, it is most susceptible to delays caused by low cloud.
鈥淚t is man and machine working in perfect harmony,鈥� said NATS chief solution officer Andy Taylor.
He believes that the tower has reached 鈥渢he extent of human performance鈥� and will need the new AI tech in order to continue improvement of efficiency and safety.
鈥淩ight now we鈥檙e focusing on when the control tower is in low cloud, where I鈥檓 confident we can make a very positive difference.
鈥淏ut I am convinced that this technology can totally revolutionise how air traffic is managed at airports around the world.鈥�
The trial will study the movements of more than 50,000 inbound flights in the coming weeks, and the system could be brought into full use later this year.
Kathryn Leahy, Heathrow鈥檚 director of operations, said the technology is a welcome improvement.
鈥淲e鈥檙e delighted to be hosting this technology 鈥� we need to be even more resilient. We normally have 10-12 days a year here when the tower is in cloud and we are forced to increase the spacing. In the summer peak, it could make or break a busy day.
鈥淚f the technology works we may not have to build a second tower to see the third runway. We will be really testing the capability.鈥�