BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Bellingham International Airport is getting a major upgrade to its tech operations.

The Port of Bellingham says they’re partnering with uAvionix to implement its radar and surveillance program at the airport’s traffic control tower.

Prior to the announcement, air traffic control in Bellingham have relied on visual and radio information to determine when planes were landing and taking off.

A spokesperson for uAvionix says that Bellingham will be the first airport in the state to use its FlightLine Airborne Position Reference Tool, or APRT.

The program was approved by the FAA last August, and could expand to other airports across the country.

A group of senators in Oregon and Montana are pushing for the FlightLine APRT to be installed at all airports that don’t currently have radar or surveillance tools.