Hundreds of cameras will be fixed along the two runways at Changi Airport, which span 8km in total, to prepare for the day when air traffic controllers guide planes to land and take off without physically seeing them from a control tower.
Live trial flights are expected towards the end of the year or early next year.
The cameras are part of a 22-month trial by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), to develop and test a smart digital tower prototype.
The $7 million contract was awarded last November to Britain-based air traffic management service provider NATS - which manages London's Heathrow airport.
Speaking to The Straits Times on the sidelines of Singapore Airshow 2018, NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe said that during the testing phase, air traffic controllers at Changi Airport will continue to direct all flights as usual.
Following the trial, CAAS will evaluate the operational feasibility before determining if the technology is suited for a busy airport like Changi.
So far, only small airports like Ornskoldsvik, in Sweden, have adopted the technology. Other countries looking at remote towers include Hungary, Britain, the United States and Germany.
Allaying safety concerns that travellers may have, Mr Rolfe said a smart digital tower, equipped with a range of assistive functionalities and features, should in fact help enhance air traffic management and the safety of runway and ground operations, and increase operational efficiencies at airports.
The cameras to be fitted will feed live video images onto a large video wall. This will provide a similar view to what air traffic controllers currently see from a physical control tower.
The trial will also employ advanced camera and video stitching technologies that will enable a better display of information. For instance, the video cameras can automatically pan, tilt and zoom, to enable a closer look at objects and areas of interest.
Mr Rolfe said: "From a technology, operational and safety perspective, there is genuinely no reason to build another control tower anywhere else in the world. Why anyone would choose to spend the money, I don't know."
With a growing number of flights in the region, there is an urgent need for countries to beef up their air traffic management capabilities, stressed Mr Rolfe and many other experts who have spoken on the subject.
Last November, at a conference in Singapore, the head of the United Nations' civil aviation arm warned Asian nations that unless they set aside sovereignty concerns and work together to share data and information, the region will not be able to cope with the growing number of flights.
Dr Fang Liu, secretary-general of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, said then: "While your region is already confronted by capacity shortages, the current forecast indicates that traffic growth here will only continue... Your current and projected flight volumes are putting the entire regional network under stress."
NATS, which has worked with many airports in the region, is optimistic, noting the Asean masterplan signed last year for all 10 member countries to work together in this area.
The realisation that there is a need for urgent action will help with other challenges as well. These include the difference in expertise and capabilities among countries in the region.
Mr Rolfe said: "In the end, a lot of it though comes down to political will."
