FAA Begins Testing $875 Million AI Air Traffic Tool at Three DC-Area Airports

The Federal Aviation Administration and the US Department of Transportation announced Monday that they are beginning a trial of an AI-powered air traffic management system at three airports around the nation's capital: Reagan National Airport, Dulles International Airport and BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.

The system, called Strategic Management of Airspace Routes and Trajectories (SMART), is part of an $875 million software overhaul. The DOT says it is not a replacement for human controllers. Instead, it aims to reduce pressure on personnel by predicting delays and cancellations and providing recommendations to humans who retain control over flight operations.

The stakes are considerable. The FAA manages close to 45,000 flights every day in the US, and years of air traffic controller shortages have led to delays and congestion. Margaret Wallace, an assistant professor of aviation management at the Florida Institute of Technology, says calls to modernize the aging air traffic control infrastructure have gone unanswered for years.

How SMART works

SMART centralizes 200 data streams — flight paths, wind, weather, staffing metrics and more — into one platform that gives controllers a comprehensive overview of conditions in the sky and on the ground at airports.

From this consolidated data, human controllers can "anticipate demand, weather and airspace constraints and plan hours, days and even weeks ahead," according to the press release. The DOT says the measures will upgrade "the FAA from a reactive approach to a predictive one."

"By fundamentally reshaping how we manage our airspace and preventing problems before they happen, SMART will slash those frustrating delays, reduce stress on air traffic controllers and lower travel prices," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.

Built by an established defense AI contractor

Air Space Intelligence, a US-based aerospace and defense AI company, built the system. The company has already partnered with the US Air Force, the Department of Defense, and major US airlines including Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. In the announcement, CEOs from United, Delta, American and Southwest expressed encouragement over the initiative.

Union was not involved

Whether the system delivers remains an open question, and the union representing air traffic controllers said it was not involved in the program's development. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a statement it "believes any new technology should complement and not replace the experience, training and professional judgment of air traffic controllers who are responsible for the safety of the National Airspace System."

Experts also urge caution as the rollout proceeds. "My biggest initial concern is controller training and human-factors integration," Wallace said. "That is not necessarily a criticism of this particular system; it is a challenge that comes with introducing any significant new technology into a complex, safety-critical environment."

She added that "FAA leadership will need to ensure that implementation and testing are deliberate, that controllers receive adequate training and that appropriate safeguards remain in place throughout the transition."

While Wallace calls SMART an important first step, she notes it "does not eliminate the human element," and controllers need to remain at the forefront of every stage of implementation. "If implemented carefully, however, the technology behind this initiative has the potential to begin a significant transformation in the efficiency and modernization of the US air traffic system," Wallace said in an email.

The FAA plans to gradually expand SMART to other airports across the country, making the three-airport trial the first test of whether predictive AI can hold up in one of aviation's most safety-critical environments.