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

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced an expansion of an artificial‑intelligence system called SMART, designed to give air‑traffic controllers recommendations that ease congestion across the national airspace. The $875 million project was first activated on September 21 in the Washington, D.C. area, where the agency reports it has redirected 180 flights, cutting roughly ten minutes of flight time and saving about 80 gallons of fuel per aircraft. With these early results, the FAA plans to roll the tool out to the 22 control centers that cover the United States, aiming to reduce delays, lower fuel consumption and improve the passenger experience.

Airline leaders have expressed their endorsement of the program, while the union representing air‑traffic controllers noted that its members were not involved in the system’s design or testing. The broader deployment of SMART raises questions about the collaboration between the regulatory authority and operational staff, as well as the reliability of AI in critical environments.

This development is significant because adopting AI for air‑traffic management could transform civil aviation’s operational efficiency, cut fuel costs and help reduce emissions—key factors for the sector’s sustainability and flight punctuality.

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