What changes with the expansion
The Federal Aviation Administration has decided to extend the use of the SMART artificial intelligence tool to all 22 of the country's air traffic control centers, according to a report by Ars Technica. The agency itself announced this in a November 10 statement cited in the report: after the first application in the capital region in September, the tool will now serve to reduce delays, curb fuel consumption and improve the passenger experience nationwide.
The extension marks a step change in scale: from an experimental metropolitan area to a system covering the entire U.S. airspace. The novelty is therefore not the system itself but its widespread adoption, with the promise of replicating the results obtained in the initial phase.
The trial figures and how it works
According to the FAA, SMART cost $875 million and, since its launch in Washington airspace on September 21, has helped reroute 180 flights. The agency claims this saved an average of 10 minutes and nearly 80 gallons of fuel per flight. These are data provided by the agency itself, not independently verified in the available material.
The system, described by the FAA as cloud-based, cross-references information on weather conditions, routes, traffic flow and air traffic controller staffing levels to predict traffic trends. It formulates planning recommendations, identifies optimal routes and establishes the best arrival order. However, the recommendations are validated by a team of FAA specialists based in Washington before being transmitted to control centers, and local controllers remain free to accept them or not. The agency specifies that the system cannot replace the role of controllers or take control of an aircraft.
Airline support and union criticism
The rollout has the declared support of the leadership of some airlines: the statement issued on the occasion of the first use reported favorable positions from the CEOs of Delta Air Lines and American Airlines.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents more than 15,000 members, takes the opposite position. The union told Flying magazine that it was neither consulted nor involved in the design, testing or implementation of SMART and therefore could not assess the effects on air traffic control staff. It also remains unclear, Ars Technica writes, how the system may have assisted passenger traffic: the example the agency gave to the Dallas Morning News concerned a cargo flight bound for Dallas-Fort Worth airport, without the flight being identified or any data on commercial flights being provided.
