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3w ago

FAA Sets Up AI System SMART for Washington, D.C., Airspace Under $875 Million Contract

The system will run as a decision‑support tool in a 90‑day test to provide a shared predictive view of traffic that aims to ease controller workload.

Passengers stand in one of the terminals at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on March 16, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. The airport name's shorthand DCA is seen near the window as two passengers look out at parked aircraft.
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Overview

  • The FAA plans a limited launch of SMART — Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories — in the Washington, D.C., metro area under a 12‑year, $875 million contract with Air Space Intelligence.
  • SMART is a cloud‑based AI platform that analyzes airline schedules, weather, airport capacity and airspace conditions to predict traffic flows and generate alternative routing information for existing FAA channels.
  • Agency leaders say SMART will not change controller or airline procedures at rollout and that a 90‑day operational test will precede any wider deployment.
  • Industry groups welcomed the potential for fewer delays and better recovery from disruptions but raised unresolved questions about which AI models SMART uses, data quality, liability when predictions fail, and the criteria required to expand use.
  • SMART is paired with a Flow Management Data & Services program to replace core flow‑management infrastructure, and observers say careful, staged testing and clear performance gates are needed given long‑running controller shortages and past fatal accidents that heightened urgency for change.