DOT Unveils AI-Powered Air Traffic System to Reduce Delays
The new SMART tool uses artificial intelligence to predict weather and other disruptions, aiming to improve flight efficiency and passenger experience.
The Department of Transportation has launched a pilot program for an artificial intelligence-powered air traffic management system designed to significantly decrease flight delays and cancellations. The new system, named Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART), is currently being tested at Washington D.C. area airports.
SMART utilizes AI to predict weather patterns and other potential disruptions, providing air traffic managers with real-time, dynamic data to better coordinate flight operations. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy emphasized that while AI is enhancing the system, human controllers will continue to manage air traffic. "Humans control the airspace, humans make decisions, but we’re just getting way better technology, way better foresight," Duffy stated.
This new system is a departure from the current methods, which often rely on paper maps and static datasets. SMART integrates approximately 200 data streams onto a unified platform, offering projections for crucial information such as precise aircraft landing times. This allows managers to proactively adjust flight paths or speeds, reducing the need for planes to circle airports.
Federal Aviation Administration administrator Bryan Bedford explained that SMART functions as a traffic separation tool, enabling a holistic view of airspace not just for the present moment but also for projected conditions throughout the day. The system is described as an advisory tool rather than a safety system, distinct from the direct collision avoidance managed by air traffic controllers.
The development of SMART was awarded to Boston-based Air Space Intelligence under an $875 million contract, funded by the $12.5 billion allocated for air traffic infrastructure modernization through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The system is expected to be deployed at additional airports nationwide in the coming months.
The pilot program's initial deployment in the D.C. area, which includes Ronald Reagan Washington National, Dulles International, and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall airports, is in a limited mode. Officials anticipate that while immediate changes may not be drastic, the projected reductions in delays and cancellations could become apparent by next summer.
In addition to improving efficiency and reducing delays, the SMART system is expected to lead to lower travel costs for airlines and a reduction in carbon emissions due to optimized flight paths and reduced fuel consumption.