New company gives pilots and airports a better overview of airspace

A shortage of air traffic controllers combined with increasing air traffic is making airspace management a complex and costly task. A new SDU spin-out is now automating parts of the work carried out by airports and air traffic controllers.

Using a new system, Airband Solutions can automatically provide pilots with the information they need when approaching an airport.

- Traditionally, air traffic controllers work with radar, which is old technology and quite expensive. At the same time, there is a global shortage of thousands of air traffic controllers. Our system will be able to solve some of the tasks that radar handles today, but at a fraction of the cost, says CEO Anders Madsen, who founded the company together with two others.

Increased air traffic calls for smart solutions

According to the entrepreneur, global aviation is growing by around five percent per year, while drone traffic is increasing even faster, making the need for coordination greater.

Airband Solutions is working on a radio-based solution that can determine the position of aircraft and other airborne vehicles and send messages to pilots via the aircraft radio.

- The pilot automatically receives information about what is happening. Are there drones, parachuting activities, model aircraft or anything else that is relevant to be aware of, explains Anders Madsen.

Small airports are the first customers

Initially, the company is focusing on smaller airports and airfields, where the need for manned air traffic control does not always justify the costs. An air traffic controller is a major expense and cannot always be dispensed with, but the system can partially automate the work.

- An air traffic controller in Europe often costs between one and two million kroner per year. That is a lot of money for small airports. Our system can be used as a supplement and automate some of the more routine tasks – but without making air traffic controllers redundant, Anders Madsen emphasizes.

The system is expected to be operational at the first Danish airports during 2026. The company is already collaborating with, for example, Lolland Falster Airport and is seeing strong interest from other airports.

In the long term, Airband Solutions also aims to sell to an international market. Anders Madsen estimates that Germany has more than a thousand airfields and airports, and the United States several thousand.

From university to market

Airband Solutions was founded by three co-founders, all of whom have experience in aviation and aeronautics: Kjeld Jensen, a researcher at SDU’s drone center; Klavs Andersen, an engineer who has, among other things, worked as a test engineer on systems for F-16 aircraft; and Anders Madsen himself, who has extensive experience in aviation and IT.

-  We know the environment our system will be used in. In aviation, there are rules for everything, and the requirements for stability and operational reliability are extremely high. Software errors are a no-go, so we take a very critical approach, he says.

Making the transition from a university environment to the market is a long and demanding journey. However, the company has hired its first software developer, has customer agreements in place, and a clear strategy for future sales of the system. Sales will be conducted through resellers, and the system will be offered as a subscription-based solution.

- We operate in a business-to-business market, and that requires a sales organization that knows the customers. That is why it makes good sense to work with resellers who already know the customers – especially internationally, says Anders Madsen.