FAA expands AI advice to manage air traffic congestion across US airspace

The FAA is expanding SMART, an $875 million cloud-based AI advisory system, from an initial deployment over Washington, DC, to all 22 air route traffic control centers nationwide. It analyzes weather, flight paths, traffic flows, and controller staffing to forecast congestion and recommend schedules, routes, and aircraft arrival order. The FAA says SMART helped reroute 180 flights in the Washington region, saving an average of 10 minutes and nearly 80 gallons of fuel per flight, and hopes broader use will reduce delays and fuel consumption.

SMART does not directly control aircraft: FAA specialists in Washington review its recommendations, and local controllers can accept or reject them. Airline executives have endorsed the rollout, but the National Air Traffic Controllers Association says it was excluded from the system’s design, testing, and implementation, leaving it unable to assess effects on the workforce. Evidence offered so far is limited: the FAA has described a cargo flight routed more quickly to Dallas-Fort Worth, but did not identify it or explain how the system has helped passenger traffic. The expansion therefore pairs promising agency-reported efficiency gains with unresolved questions about the system’s performance and its practical impact on controllers.