FAA Launches AI Air Traffic Tool in Washington Area

The Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to launch an artificial intelligence-powered air traffic management tool in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area on Monday, September 22, 2026. The system, called Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories, or SMART, represents the initial phase of a broader effort to modernize U.S. air traffic control. SMART is a cloud-based platform developed by Air Space Intelligence under an $875 million, 12-year government contract awarded earlier this year. It is designed to analyze airline schedules, weather patterns, airport runway capacity, and other operational constraints to predict traffic flows and identify potential conflicts before they occur. The tool will recommend alternate flight routes to avoid compound delays. In its current phase, SMART will function as a decision-support tool for air traffic controllers during disruptions, not as a full replacement for existing processes. Future iterations are expected to handle more complex tasks, such as managing flight arrival intervals and planning routes days in advance.