TRUSTY (Trustworthy Intelligent System for Remote Digital Tower) is a research SESAR project aiming to understand how air traffic controllers (ATCOs) interact with, and trust, explainable AI systems in remote digital tower environments.
As part of the project, user tests were conducted in simulated Remote Digital Tower (RDT) environments, with the final validation taking place at ENAC’s ACHIL simulation platform during the first two weeks of March 2025.
About the Experiment
This validation exercise brought together 17 expert ATCOs to assess how transparency and explainability properties of an AI-based system can foster trust, while monitoring a remote airfield under multiple operating mode conditions. The controllers had to manage two airfields:
- Toulouse Blagnac Airport (LFBO) – Controllers managed air traffic (pushback, taxiing, takeoff) via radio communication,
- Muret-Lherm Aerodrome (LFBR) – Controllers supervised operations remotely, with AI-assisted event detection (video & audio), but without direct pilot communication.
Why is this important?
The experiment was not about measuring controller performance, but rather about understanding human-AI interaction in high-stakes environments. The findings will support the development of trustworthy AI systems for future remote digital tower operations, in alignment with EASA operational guidelines.
Within the TRUSTY project, beyond hosting and conducting simulations at the ACHIL platform, ENAC plays a key role in:
- Leading research, experimentation, and validation of AI-based solutions for remote towers
- Gathering user feedback and analyzing trust dynamics to refine AI transparency and explainability.
Key insights from these trials will be shared soon.
