FAA’s $875M SMART AI Set for Washington Air Traffic Trial
FAA's $875 million SMART AI could begin advising Washington air traffic control on September 21, ahead of a cautious nationwide rollout across US airspace.
Summary
FAA could launch SMART on Monday, September 21, 2026, for Washington’s three major airports, before scaling across 29 million square miles of US airspace. It uses schedules, weather, airport capacity and airspace conditions to predict traffic and conflicts, sharing route and departure options with the FAA, airlines and operators to cut fuel, delays and recovery times. After weeks of confusion, airlines were told SMART only adds alternative routes through existing systems, changing no procedures.
Boston based Air Space Intelligence’s $875 million, 12 year contract, awarded in June 2026, also funds Flow Management Data and Services, replacing the Virginia command center system. Philip Mann, a 17 year FAA veteran now at Vector Strategic Consulting, calls it the backbone and SMART the predictive layer. The company’s Flyways AI, used by Alaska Airlines, claims over 40 percent of US traffic through a 4D digital twin. SMART’s model type remains undisclosed, as does whether it retains June’s 24,000 foot minimum. Mann backs phased deployment but wants real workload, degraded data and accountability tests.
SMART arrives amid a multi billion dollar upgrade of hundreds of 1980s radars and communications systems, plus a shortage dating to Ronald Reagan’s 1981 firing of more than 11,000 controllers. The workforce fell 6 percent in a decade, the US Government Accountability Office said in December 2025. Elon Musk’s 2025 DOGE cuts hit systems staff, although controllers were spared and a judge reinstated 132 employees. During the 43 day October 1 to November 12, 2025 shutdown, Sean Duffy cited 15 to 20 daily retirements versus four normally; Bryan Bedford cited up to 500 lost trainees. In May 2026, FAA cut its estimated 2026 to 2028 need by about 2,000 controllers. On January 29, 2025, 67 people died when a US Army Black Hawk hit an American Airlines jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport; investigators cited understaffing, with one controller covering helicopter and runway traffic.
Positives
- September 21, 2026 could mark SMART’s limited debut across Washington’s three major airports before any nationwide expansion.
- 29 million square miles of US airspace could eventually share SMART’s traffic predictions and routing recommendations.
- Existing FAA systems will distribute SMART’s alternative routes without changing controller or airline procedures.
- Over 40 percent of US air traffic is already covered by Air Space Intelligence’s separate Flyways AI platform.
- Fuel use, flight punctuality and recovery from weather or congestion could improve through shared operational planning.
Risks & concerns
- SMART’s underlying model type remains undisclosed, leaving uncertainty over whether it uses deterministic, machine learning or generative AI.
- The FAA has not confirmed whether SMART remains limited to aircraft operating at 24,000 feet and above.
- A 6 percent decade long workforce decline compounds the risks of introducing AI during a persistent controller shortage.
- The 2025 shutdown drove daily controller retirements to 15 to 20 and cost the FAA up to 500 trainees.
- January 29, 2025 understaffing contributed to a Washington area collision that killed 67 people.
- Hundreds of aging radar systems from the 1980s still require replacement alongside radios, telecommunications lines and voice switches.