THE CRUNCH
The Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to roll out an AI system that will advise controllers on managing congestion in the Washington, DC, area. The system, known as SMART, is designed to predict air traffic flows and identify potential conflicts based on airline schedules, weather, and airport capacity. US officials say the tool could debut for the three major airports in the DC area as soon as 21 Sep.
The tool is expected to start advising air traffic controllers in the congested airspace above Washington, DC, before a planned nationwide rollout covering the 29 million square miles of US national airspace.
A limited scope launch in the DC area is viewed as a prudent approach by aviation experts. Philip Mann, a principal consultant at Vector Strategic Consulting LLC, described the decision to launch SMART before a nationwide rollout as the 'right call.' Mann previously worked at the FAA for 17 years.