The Federal Aviation Administration has begun piloting an artificial intelligence platform at three major Washington, D.C.-area airports, aiming to predict and reduce flight disruptions before they happen.
The system, called SMART — Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories — went live in limited mode on September 21 at Ronald Reagan Washington National, Dulles International and Baltimore/Washington International airports. The rollout began at the FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Warrenton, Virginia.
How it works
Developed by technology vendor Air Space Intelligence under a roughly $875 million contract, SMART centralizes about 200 data streams — including weather patterns, flight paths, traffic flow and air-traffic-controller staffing — to shift airspace management "from a reactive approach to a predictive one." The FAA says aviation specialists can use the tool to anticipate demand, weather and airspace constraints hours, days and even weeks ahead, and fix problems before flights depart. It operates at the traffic-flow-management level, not at the clearance level, and the agency stresses that human controllers retain responsibility for aircraft separation and all final decisions.
The pilot is expected to run for about 90 days, according to Politico, with a broader nationwide rollout planned for fall 2026. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in an agency release: "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." Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford said the department is "moving at record speed to build the modern air traffic control system America needs." SMART is part of a wider $12.5 billion push to modernize the country's aging air traffic control system.
Skeptics urge caution
Not everyone is convinced. Rep. Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, has called on the FAA to suspend the program, describing D.C.-area travelers as "guinea pigs" for the technology ahead of a national rollout. The FAA has given no indication it plans to pause. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it "has not been involved in the design, testing, or implementation of SMART and therefore cannot speak to its effect on the air traffic control workforce at this time."
Former controller S. Todd Yeary, who directed air traffic on September 11, 2001, told NewsNation his biggest fear is AI hallucination — that the system could invent problems that don't exist or miss real ones. "One word: hallucination," he said.
Sources:
FAA Rolls Out AI-Powered Tool in Attempt to Reduce Flight Delays and Cancellations (People): https://people.com/faa-rolls-out-ai-powered-tool-to-manage-flight-traffic-12134680
FAA Launches AI Traffic Management System at Three DC-Area Airports (Aero Crew News): https://aerocrewnews.com/2026/09/23...-management-system-at-three-dc-area-airports/
AI Enters the Control Tower: FAA's New System Sparks Fear of Hallucinations in Crowded Skies (WebProNews): https://www.webpronews.com/ai-enter...arks-fear-of-hallucinations-in-crowded-skies/
The system, called SMART — Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories — went live in limited mode on September 21 at Ronald Reagan Washington National, Dulles International and Baltimore/Washington International airports. The rollout began at the FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Warrenton, Virginia.
How it works
Developed by technology vendor Air Space Intelligence under a roughly $875 million contract, SMART centralizes about 200 data streams — including weather patterns, flight paths, traffic flow and air-traffic-controller staffing — to shift airspace management "from a reactive approach to a predictive one." The FAA says aviation specialists can use the tool to anticipate demand, weather and airspace constraints hours, days and even weeks ahead, and fix problems before flights depart. It operates at the traffic-flow-management level, not at the clearance level, and the agency stresses that human controllers retain responsibility for aircraft separation and all final decisions.
The pilot is expected to run for about 90 days, according to Politico, with a broader nationwide rollout planned for fall 2026. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in an agency release: "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." Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford said the department is "moving at record speed to build the modern air traffic control system America needs." SMART is part of a wider $12.5 billion push to modernize the country's aging air traffic control system.
Skeptics urge caution
Not everyone is convinced. Rep. Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, has called on the FAA to suspend the program, describing D.C.-area travelers as "guinea pigs" for the technology ahead of a national rollout. The FAA has given no indication it plans to pause. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it "has not been involved in the design, testing, or implementation of SMART and therefore cannot speak to its effect on the air traffic control workforce at this time."
Former controller S. Todd Yeary, who directed air traffic on September 11, 2001, told NewsNation his biggest fear is AI hallucination — that the system could invent problems that don't exist or miss real ones. "One word: hallucination," he said.
Sources:
FAA Rolls Out AI-Powered Tool in Attempt to Reduce Flight Delays and Cancellations (People): https://people.com/faa-rolls-out-ai-powered-tool-to-manage-flight-traffic-12134680
FAA Launches AI Traffic Management System at Three DC-Area Airports (Aero Crew News): https://aerocrewnews.com/2026/09/23...-management-system-at-three-dc-area-airports/
AI Enters the Control Tower: FAA's New System Sparks Fear of Hallucinations in Crowded Skies (WebProNews): https://www.webpronews.com/ai-enter...arks-fear-of-hallucinations-in-crowded-skies/
