FAA starts limited trial of AI-backed air traffic planning tool near Washington
The FAA has begun limited use of a system that combines roughly 200 data streams to flag congestion and capacity problems in advance, starting in the Washington, D.C. area ahead of a planned nationwide rollout.
The Federal Aviation Administration began limited use of a new air traffic planning tool in the Washington, D.C. region on Monday. The agency called it the first stage of a wider national deployment.
The platform is called Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories, or SMART. According to the Department of Transportation, it draws on about 200 data sources, among them weather information, flight paths, traffic flow figures and controller staffing levels.
SMART is meant to spot congestion and capacity constraints before they take hold, so FAA staff can weigh scheduling and routing adjustments hours or even days ahead. The system does not direct aircraft, the agency said, and any suggestions it produces must be reviewed by agency personnel before use.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the tool would change how airspace is managed and would reduce delays, ease pressure on controllers and bring down travel costs.
The FAA's brief notice this week gives no further detail on how many facilities are involved or the timetable for extending the system beyond the capital region.
Sources
- avweb.comFAA Launches AI-Supported Air Traffic Tool
- aerotime.aeroFAA begins using AI to predict congestion and reduce flight delays