Key facts
- The FAA's new AI tool, SMART, will debut with a limited scope due to airline concerns.
- SMART will offer alternative route suggestions to air traffic controllers without new procedures.
- The tool aims to ease air traffic congestion and weather-related delays.
- A 90-day testing period will precede wider rollout.
- The technology is being developed by Air Space Intelligence.
- The FAA is modernizing its National Airspace System.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to launch a new artificial intelligence tool, Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (SMART), designed to ease air traffic congestion. However, the tool's initial scope will be modest due to pushback and confusion from airline industry officials regarding its integration into daily operations.
Weeks of industry concern have eased as FAA officials clarified that SMART will initially offer alternative route information through existing systems and procedures, without creating new protocols for controllers or airlines. The tool is set to debut in the coming days, focusing on managing flights for the three airports serving Washington D.C. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford hopes that after a 90-day testing period, the tool can be rolled out more widely.
Airline officials had expressed significant worry about how extensively the AI would be integrated into air traffic management. The SMART tool's current plan is to generate alternative routes, particularly useful during bad weather or airport backups, to help reduce disruptions. This approach is part of a larger 12-year, $875 million contract effort to modernize the nation's air traffic control system.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has promoted the tool, but airline executives had been bewildered by the FAA's initial vague descriptions. A series of meetings, including one on September 10 between major airline CEOs and Bedford, helped to alleviate concerns. CEOs from United, American, Delta, and Southwest Airlines reportedly showed support for the effort.
FAA spokesperson Hannah Walden stated that the agency is "moving at record speed to modernize America’s National Airspace System, and SMART will fundamentally change the way we manage our skies." She added that airlines have been involved from the start and their feedback is being incorporated through a slow, methodical rollout. The tool's developer, Boston-based Air Space Intelligence, won the contract in June and did not respond to a request for comment.