DC-area airports first to deploy AI tool for airspace management
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ByEdward Graham,
Managing Editor, Nextgov/FCW
September 21, 2026 02:56 PM ET
The SMART tool uses AI to crunch 200 different streams of flight data “to predict traffic flows and identify potential conflicts before they occur,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Transportation Department announced on Monday that it rolled out a new artificial intelligence tool as part of its air traffic control modernization initiative, with three airports in the Washington, D.C. region the first in the nation to receive the new capability.
Transportation said the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories — or SMART — tool will help to centralize 200 disparate data streams into one system that can provide better management insights.
A factsheetfrom the Federal Aviation Administration, which is overseeing the far-reaching effort to overhaul management of U.S. airspace, says that, “using AI, SMART analyzes airline schedules, weather,...
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