U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford have announced that the FAA has officially awarded a contract to Air Space Intelligence (ASI) for two complementary technologies that aim to improve how flights are scheduled and managed throughout the National Airspace System.
The Flow Management Data and Services (FMDS) system will form the new technological backbone of the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center as it aims to balance air traffic demand with capacity whilst providing data to underpin traffic management.
Meanwhile, Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes, and Trajectories (SMART), an enhancement within FMDS itself, will use said data to prevent congestion and delays by strategically coordianting schedules and trajectories before aircraft depart.
Together, the two technologies will come together in an effort to reduce flight delays, improve traffic flow and increase airspace capacity by integrating the two technologies into one system and proactively identifying both delays and available airspace in order to mitigate them days, weeks, and even months in advance.
The systems will also allow controllers to overlay weather patterns and flight paths into one central visualisation.
US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, said:We’re already making remarkable progress on upgrading the radars, radios, and telecom wires air traffic controllers rely on thanks to the Working Families Tax Cut. But to really improve the flying experience for the traveling public, we must change how flights are managed.
We’re thrilled to partner with ASI to begin deploying these two new software platforms. Once implemented, we will fundamentally reshape how the airspace is managed – slashing thousands of delays and cancellations in the process.
