The FAA is piloting an AI system called SMART to forecast air traffic congestion weeks in advance and proactively adjust flight schedules to reduce delays, with the aim of smoothing operations before bottlenecks materialize.

SMART analyzes flight patterns well ahead of time and can propose small schedule shifts, such as five to ten minutes, to alleviate bottlenecks across thousands of flights.

The approach focuses on upstream, preflight adjustments rather than in-the-moment controller actions, predicting flows and adjusting departures to resolve conflicts.

Experts caution about risks like AI hallucinations—confidently incorrect outputs—that could be dangerous in aviation, and question whether the cost justifies the benefits given past modernization efforts.

Funding and budgeting for SMART remain unclear, with the FAA assembling resources without a dedicated line item and the contract structure still to be determined.

The system is estimated to cost around $12 billion as part of a broader modernization of U.S. air traffic control infrastructure largely funded by federal money.

Officials, including Transportation Secretary, emphasize that AI is not meant to replace air traffic controllers; human controllers will remain responsible for physically separating aircraft.

The project is invitation-only and competition-based, involving Thales, Air Space Intelligence, and Palantir, with a contract expected soon and an operational demonstration potentially in September 2026.

Readers are invited to weigh in on whether AI-assisted planning would boost or undermine traveler confidence in the safety and reliability of air travel.

SMART is part of broader FAA efforts to upgrade NextGen technology and facilities to improve resilience against weather, staffing, and peak-demand disruptions.

Private-sector collaboration includes Palantir Technologies providing analytics tools to enhance aviation safety and efficiency, with Palantir, Thales, and Air Space Intelligence all shaping SMART's implementation.

While designed to support, not replace, human controllers, SMART’s scheduling decisions could affect thousands of flights and carry ripple effects if errors occur, making reliability crucial.