US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Aviation Administrator (FAA) Bryan Bedford have unveiled Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART), a tool that aims to centralise 200 data streams including weather patterns, flight paths, traffic flow, and controller staffing metrics into one unified platform.
Utilising an AI-supported engine, SMART then synthesises all data sources in order to provide a comprehensive visualisation of where planes are going, how much traffic the system can handle, and where congestion or weather may cause challenges.
The platform can be used to see what conditions will be in the future, as well as make recommendations to fix the problems before they arise.
Key benefits of SMART are touted to include fewer delays & cancellations, optimised airspace, more predictable operations, and lower ticket prices.
US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duff, said:Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are already making remarkable progress on building a brand new air traffic control system. But to really improve the flying experience for the American people, we needed to build a 21st century scheduling tool like SMART.
By fundamentally reshaping how we manage our airspace and preventing problems before they happen, SMART will slash those frustrating delays, reduce stress on air traffic controllers, and lower travel prices. The Trump Administration is committed to making flying hassle-free and affordable again.
On 21 September, the FAA began using SMART in a limited mode in airspace surrounding Washington DC, and now plans to gradually expand its use to other parts of the country. Currently, SMART is unable to replace the role that air traffic controllers play, or take over control of an aircraft.
All of SMART’s recommendations are reviewed in real-time by FAA staff, with local leadership at air traffic control facilities able to choose to accept or pass on these scheduling suggestions.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said:Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Duffy, we are moving at record speed to build the modern air traffic control system America needs.
Combining SMART with our ongoing hardware upgrades gives us the tools to cut flight delays, optimize traffic, and keep airspace capacity across the country open–all while maintaining our gold standard of safety.
