New LGS air traffic control tower to be built by SIA “AIMASA”, work to be completed by 31 December 2026
Dāvids Tauriņš, Chair of the Board of State Joint Stock Company “Latvijas gaisa satiksme” (LGS), Ivars Sviridovs, Member of the Board of LGS, and Sandris Apsītis, Chair of the Board of construction company SIA “AIMASA”, have signed a contract for the reconstruction of the LGS building with the construction of a new air traffic control tower (ATC) complex at Riga Airport.
According to the contract, the construction work in the project entitled “Reconstruction of the existing SJC “Latvijas gaisa satiksme” building with the construction of a new air traffic control tower complex” shall be commenced by 1 January 2025. The contractor has planned to begin all the required planning, drafting and approval of documents, as well as the setting up of the construction site and other work (removal of MEP systems and installation of new ones, localised reconstruction of part of the existing building, etc.) already this year. Construction is scheduled to be completed by 31 December 2026.
The total contracted amount is EUR 51 255 844.90 (without VAT). The project has also been allocated funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) in the amount of EUR 26.263 million for upgrading and adapting infrastructure for dual use, i.e., for both civilian and military purposes. LGS will also receive a loan of EUR 25 million with favourable conditions from the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB).
“Of course, we are very happy with the fact that this long-awaited project, which is of great importance to LGS, Riga Airport and the aviation sector in Latvia in general, is, at last, imminent. As a result of a procurement negotiation procedure a contractor has been selected who has undertaken to perform the construction works within 24 months allowing LGS to then install state-of-the-art equipment in the tower and begin using it for air traffic control,” Mr Tauriņš explains.
In turn, Mr Apsītis highlights: “We have undertaken to implement an immense and important project, and to be honest, such opportunities do not arise all that frequently for contractors in Latvia. We are certain that the new tower and all the other infrastructure will be placed into operation at the end of 2026, and it will not only improve air traffic control and flight safety, but also become a new landmark and calling card for the city of Riga, being the first thing that visitors see when arriving by air to the capital of Latvia.”
Standing at 27 meters high, the existing LGS ATC tower was built in 1973, meaning all its MEP and design solutions are those used in the 1970s. With the airport evolving, it has become increasingly difficult to fulfil its needs and introduce innovative technologies with the existing ATC tower. It will, however, remain as a back-up tower at Riga Airport.
In turn, the new ATC tower is a prerequisite for the further successful development of Riga Airport to ensure that it can keep providing the safest and most profitable air traffic services at the busiest airport in the Baltics. The upgrading of the air traffic control infrastructure will ensure aligned development of the infrastructure of the airport and the company, the integration of civilian and military air traffic and improved civilian-military mobility. The new technologies to be installed during the upgrade will allow for the introduction of a Remote Control Tower making it possible to remotely control take-off and landing of aircraft at other airfields in Latvia. The technological features of the tower will help optimise the interaction of arrivals and departures, as well as the layout of horizontal and vertical separation, thus reducing fuel consumption, emissions, and noise, and ensuring service continuity as much as possible.
The new ATC tower will stand at 49.9 meters on a building site of 5958 square meters and with a total interior area of 12 185.8 square meters. The tower will have one level underground and nine above ground.
The new LGS ATC tower was designed by supplier union ATCT 2020 consisting of three members: architectural firm SIA “ARHIS ARHITEKTI”, “LEO A DALY” – a major U.S. architecture, engineering, and interior design company, and “Marcos Costilla Aviation Consulting Group, LLC”.
