FAA expands SMART air traffic planning tool to all 22 US centers
The FAA has extended its AI-assisted SMART planning system nationwide, while controllers retain final authority over its recommendations.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
The Federal Aviation Administration has expanded its SMART air-traffic planning tool to airspace overseen by all 22 U.S. en route air traffic control centers, AeroTime reported. The FAA SMART expansion extends a limited September launch around Washington, D.C., but the system advises planners and does not control aircraft.
SMART stands for Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories. The FAA introduced it on Sept. 21 for flights involving Reagan National, Washington Dulles and Baltimore/Washington International airports, according to the agency and AeroTime.
What does the FAA SMART expansion do?
SMART is an AI-assisted system intended to help the FAA plan around likely airspace congestion before it develops. It combines about 200 data streams, including weather, flight paths, traffic flow or volume, and controller staffing information, the FAA says.
The agency says the system can show anticipated traffic and capacity constraints, helping specialists consider scheduling changes or alternate routes hours, days or weeks ahead. It is a planning and recommendation layer, rather than an autonomous air-traffic-control system.
FAA specialists review SMART’s recommendations before they are passed to the Air Traffic Control System Command Center and then to facilities responsible for the affected airspace, AeroTime reported. Local facility leaders decide whether to use the suggestions. The FAA has said SMART cannot replace air traffic controllers or take over control of an aircraft.
What results has the FAA reported so far?
In announcing the nationwide rollout on Nov. 10, the FAA said the Washington-area use of SMART had helped reroute 180 flights. The agency reported average savings of 10 minutes and nearly 80 gallons of fuel for each rerouted flight, according to AeroTime and Ars Technica.
Those figures are FAA-reported results from the initial Washington-area deployment, not independently verified measures of systemwide performance. The agency and airline executives have described fewer delays and cancellations, more efficient routes and more predictable operations as potential benefits, but the available reporting does not establish those results across the country.
What questions remain about SMART?
More than two dozen lawmakers asked the FAA in October for information about SMART’s safety testing and training for staff who would use it, AeroTime reported. The FAA’s Nov. 10 update did not address those questions, according to the outlet.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents more than 15,000 members, told Flying magazine that it was not consulted on SMART’s design, testing or implementation. Ars Technica reported that the union said it therefore could not assess the system’s effect on the controller workforce.
The FAA describes SMART as part of a staged modernization effort and says its staff retain review authority throughout the process. Its September announcement set out the agency’s human-review and local-decision safeguards for the tool.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.