The FAA is putting an $875 million AI scheduling tool into air traffic control
The Federal Aviation Administration is spending $875 million to deploy an AI-powered air traffic control tool called SMART under an $875 million, 12-year contract with Air Space Intelligence, Futurism reports, citing the Wall Street Journal. Air traffic control is the humans and systems that keep planes spaced safely in the sky and on the ground. SMART is the FAA’s AI tool meant to help plan and reshuffle flights.
The rollout is part of a Trump administration revamp of air traffic control systems after a series of deadly, high-profile aviation incidents. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy first teased FAA interest in SMART in April and estimated the government would spend $12 billion on the system.
Duffy claimed the software could help controllers plan flights weeks in advance, saying it “can see this 45 days out” and move flights “five, seven, 10 minutes” earlier or later.
Airlines pressed the FAA to narrow the scope. The agency held meetings to answer those concerns. Carriers resisted a system that could reshuffle schedules far ahead of departure.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford says the goal is to expand SMART after a 90-day testing period. Airlines for America, the trade group for major airlines, called the effort “one of the most exciting and bold initiatives taken on by the FAA in decades,” while noting the project is still in its initial stages.
Futurism prints the Air Space Intelligence award at $875 million over 12 years. Duffy’s April estimate was $12 billion.
The tower still needs humans. The software is already in the multi-year budget, starting with a 90-day test and a narrower brief than the April vision.