The Federal Aviation Administration has started limited use of SMART, an AI-supported air-traffic management tool, in the Washington, D.C. airspace to predict congestion and weather-related bottlenecks before they disrupt flights. The rollout begins around the capital’s airports and forms the first operational step in a wider modernisation effort aimed at reducing delays, cancellations and controller workload.
SMART, short for Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories, draws on about 200 data streams, including weather, flight paths, airport capacity, airspace conditions and staffing levels. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy set out the objective as cutting delays and easing pressure on air traffic controllers, while FAA personnel retain final review of the system’s recommendations. Local managers can accept or reject those suggestions.
The programme is slated to expand gradually beyond the Washington region. Reuters reported that the FAA awarded Air Space Intelligence an $875 million, 12-year contract for the system in June, underlining the scale of the agency’s broader effort to modernise U.S. air-traffic flow management.