A new AI-supported air traffic management system has helped reroute nearly 180 flights carrying about 24,000 passengers, avoiding congestion and trimming flight times by an average of more than 10 minutes, according to Department of Transportation data.
The FAA’s Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories system, or SMART, has been in operation for almost six weeks. It helps controllers spot more fuel-efficient routes and prepare for possible disruptions. The department says flights using the system have saved nearly 80 gallons of fuel on average.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the administration is working to modernize air traffic control and improve travel for passengers. As SMART expands, he said, it could reduce delays, ease pressure on controllers and help bring down travel costs.
In one October example, a flight with 147 passengers traveling from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Orlando International Airport avoided anticipated congestion after SMART suggested a different route. Controllers approved the recommendation. The revised path was 11 nautical miles shorter and cut six minutes from the flight, the department said.
SMART brings together 200 data sources, including weather, flight paths, traffic patterns and controller staffing information. Its AI-supported tools help specialists identify where congestion may form and suggest alternate routes before conditions worsen.
The system is also intended to help the FAA respond to severe weather. The agency’s current approach can involve closing large blocks of airspace around storms, even when the weather does not cover the entire area and safer routes remain open. SMART is designed to give specialists a more detailed view, helping them route aircraft around storms and assess when restricted airspace can reopen.
SMART does not control aircraft on its own or replace air traffic controllers. Aviation specialists review and verify the system’s information, then send scheduling recommendations to the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center. The recommendations go on to local control facilities, where officials decide whether to use them.
The system is being developed as the country’s busiest airports manage millions of flights each year. Around 6.5 million flights operate annually at the 30 busiest airports, according to the department. Roughly 300,000 are rerouted before departure, while 3.6 million experience rerouting, changes in direction or holding while airborne.
The FAA began testing SMART in the National Capital Region in September. In October, it started validation work with air route traffic control centers in Miami, Jacksonville and Atlanta. The agency plans to continue testing as it prepares to expand the system to all 22 control centers nationwide.
The flights assisted so far represent a small portion of U.S. air traffic. Still, the department says SMART is meant to make airline schedules more predictable and reduce strain on controllers. For passengers, the intended payoff is fewer delays and shorter trips—though how much difference the system makes will depend on how widely it can be put to use.
