FAA Deploys $875 Million SMART AI at 3 Washington Airports Ahead of Nationwide Rollout
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Sep 18
FAA Deploys $875 Million SMART AI at 3 Washington Airports Ahead of Nationwide Rollout
3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Sep 18
Summary
Monday is the earliest expected debut for SMART across the Washington area's three major airports, where the FAA will use the AI system to advise controllers in congested airspace.
SMART analyzes airline schedules, weather, airport capacity and airspace conditions to predict traffic flows and flag conflicts, aiming to cut fuel burn, improve on-time performance and speed recovery from disruptions.
The FAA is limiting the first phase rather than going national across the 29 million square miles of U.S. airspace, a scope reduction one aviation safety adviser said lowers the unknowns of a national-scale AI system.
Airline concerns eased only after the FAA said SMART would not change controller or airline procedures and would instead feed alternative route information through existing FAA systems.