The FAA is expanding its artificial intelligence-supported air traffic management system to all 22 air route traffic control centers nationwide. According to a Nov. 10 statement, the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART) system will be used to help reduce delays and fuel consumption following its initial deployment in the Washington, D.C., area in September.
SMART combines approximately 200 data streams, including weather conditions, flight paths, traffic volumes and controller staffing information, to identify potential congestion before it develops. FAA specialists in Washington analyze the system’s data and forward scheduling recommendations to the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Warrenton, Virginia. The recommendations are then sent to individual air traffic control facilities, where local management determines whether to implement them. Controllers retain responsibility for aircraft separation.
FAA Reports Early Results
Since launching SMART on Sept. 21, the FAA says the system has helped reroute 180 flights, saving an average of 10 minutes and nearly 80 gallons of fuel per flight. The agency initially introduced the technology in airspace surrounding Reagan National, Washington Dulles and Baltimore/Washington International airports. SMART was developed under a broader $875 million, 12-year contract awarded to Air Space Intelligence in June.
Congressional Concerns
The nationwide expansion follows an Oct. 9 letter from more than two dozen lawmakers calling on the FAA to suspend the system’s initial rollout until questions about safety evaluations, personnel training and oversight were addressed. The lawmakers requested details about the system’s planned 90-day evaluation period and the standards required before nationwide deployment.
“Any upgrades and changes to ATC systems must be made with safety as the first priority,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
The FAA’s Nov. 10 announcement did not address the lawmakers’ questions about testing and training.
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