In With the New: FAA Replaces Decades-Old Tower in Northwest Arkansas

WASHINGTON- FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Rep. Steve Womack (AR-3) today unveiled Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA)'s new fully staffed air traffic control tower, which improves safety and meets modern FAA standards. The new tower is nearly two-and-a-half times the height of the previous tower, which was meant to be temporary when it was installed in 1998.

"Aviation has changed dramatically over the past three decades, and the importance of air traffic control and the need for more modern technology has only grown since then," Bedford said. "This new, state-of-the-art facility represents a significant investment in aviation safety."

The 140-foot-tall tower provides better line of sight for air traffic controllers, who now have a bird's-eye view of the airfield. New technology installed in it means greater reliability and a safer, more efficient National Airspace System for the flying public.

It features:

• An advanced aviation weather-monitoring system.
• A digital Automated Terminal Information Service. This is a continuous broadcast of essential details for pilots, such as weather conditions and which runways are active.
• Modern air traffic control communication radios which provide more reliable voice communications.
• A modern Voice over IP-based Voice Communication System (VCS) system, which improves controllers' ability to switch between radios to communicate with aircraft and other facilities.
• A Multichannel Transceiver, which is a compact, high-performance radio platform that enables greater interoperability with modern VCS switching systems.

The FAA and Department of Transportation are delivering technology like this across the country as part of America's Brand-New Air Traffic Control System.

Additionally, the Northwest Arkansas control tower is the first to implement a provision of the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act requiring two controllers per shift for small- to medium-hub airports.

XNA is one the fastest growing airports in Arkansas, and last year had the highest number of commercial passengers in the state.

XNA operates under the FAA Contract Tower (FCT) Program, with CI² Aviation providing air traffic control services.