New radar tower will be a 'huge boost to airport'

The tower will help air traffic controllers at Cranfield understand more of the activity in the skies around the airport

A new radar tower at Cranfield Airport will be operational from next year.

The tower at the airport near Milton Keynes will operate alongside the existing control tower.

It will improve the airport's capacity to map airspace, actively detecting aircraft rather than relying on them to transmit their information.

Airport director Rob Abbott said it was "a huge boost to Cranfield Airport's capabilities".

The 38m (124ft) tower at the Bedfordshire airfield has been funded by UK Research and Innovation.

The digital control tower at Cranfield Airport opened in 2018

Mr Abbott said: "Currently, our controllers only know of the existence of an aircraft in the local area if [it is] participating in the service.

"This system will mean the level of information available to pilots will be greatly increased, ensuring they can navigate the airspace."

The tower will also support Cranfield University's aviation research.

Prof Graham Braithwaite, director of aerospace and aviation at the university, said: "The new radar will give us much richer data and improved quality of information – that's crucial to us carrying out our advanced research projects into the future of airspace and aviation."

The first on-site radar tower at Cranfield for more than 30 years will support commercial operations and research projects

In October, aerospace company Marshall Group said its proposed move from Cambridge Airport to Cranfield Airport, which is owned by the university, was "no longer affordable".

The university's chief executive and vice-chancellor Dame Karen Holford said it was not "the outcome we'd hoped for".