Fintraffic’s Air Navigation Services (ANS) is enhancing its air traffic control training by combining the real world with a virtual one through extended reality (XR) technology. On 1 April 2026, Fintraffic’s air traffic control training unit became the world’s first operator to provide XR air traffic control training approved by the authorities.
In 2026, the training unit of Fintraffic ANS will execute a development project with UFA, a supplier of simulators, and Varjo, a specialist in virtual reality (VR) and XR hardware. The project will integrate XR technology into air traffic control training.
XR differs from traditional VR in that a person wearing a VR headset only sees a virtual environment, whereas XR technology combines the real world with the virtual world.
XR technology can be used in air traffic control training to allow the user to see the simulator's physical air traffic control workstation and its equipment as normal, while the rest of the environment is virtual. This allows the user to operate the equipment in the workstation normally while seeing a virtual air traffic control tower in the background.
XR technology can also be used in a similar way to a green screen in broadcasting, where, for example, a meteorologist stands in front of a green wall, but television viewers see a weather map. This solution can be used in air traffic control training by, for example, adding green curtains to the walls of the simulator room. A user wearing XR glasses can then see all the people, equipment and furniture in the room normally, but the green background is replaced by a virtual view of the air traffic control tower.
The use of XR technology is constantly increasing worldwide
XR technology is already widely used in other fields, such as product development and training. Examples include flight training, vehicle training and vessel traffic training, where it has made the training substantially more realistic.
Defence forces around the world are pioneers of XR, and the technology is used in training for demanding tasks. In the military field, the US Navy is currently assessing the potential of XR in air traffic control training using solutions from UFA and Varjo.
As regards civilian applications, Fintraffic is the world’s first operator to use XR in air traffic control training. Fintraffic ANS is at the forefront of new development and will execute its development project in close cooperation with Varjo.
“Nobody in the world is using XR technology for air traffic control training at present, so we cannot learn from other operators’ experiences using the technology specifically in air traffic control training. For this reason, we wanted to involve Varjo’s experts in the project to harness their specialist expertise and experience in XR technology and how it can be used for training. From the outset, Varjo was interested in exploring this new avenue, and it has been easy to advance the project with them,” says Teemu Erkkilä, who is responsible for air traffic control simulators at Fintraffic ANS.
XR technology provides new opportunities for air traffic control training
The XR application provided by UFA, a simulator supplier, is an off-the-shelf product that can be used on Varjo’s headsets. In the early stages of the project, the aim is not to develop an actual XR product, but to understand its impact on training sessions and identify the best ways to utilise XR headsets in air traffic control training.
The XR application has already been included in documentation approved by the authority. On 1 April 2026, Fintraffic’s Air Navigation Services became the first known operator to provide officially approved air traffic control training with an XR headset. The training took place at Helsinki Airport.
“We have a strong belief in the opportunities presented by XR technology for air traffic control training. The technology opens up new avenues for the commercial sale of training, for example, as simulator capacity can be increased rapidly with a very efficient interior solution if necessary. In addition, XR could provide a new, highly cost-effective way to modernise hardware in the coming years if XR headsets can replace the existing simulators, which use multiple video projectors and a computer.
“Moreover, the XR application provided by the simulator supplier and the products made by Varjo are developing at a tremendous pace, and we intend to contribute to the steering of product development. We have been using the XR application for over four months now, and in that time, we have gained a good understanding of the possibilities of the new technology, although there are still some features we have not yet tested. The research will continue, and there is still much to learn about the new technology, but the direction is very promising,” says Erkkilä.
