The Federal Aviation Administration will deploy artificial intelligence to help direct traffic at Washington-area airports beginning as soon as Monday.
The cloud-based tool, Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART), is aimed at enhancing existing traffic management systems, the FAA said.
It’s not meant to replace air traffic controllers or solve the significant shortage of those personnel.
The tool will analyze airline schedules, weather, airport conditions and other operational factors to help predict traffic and conflicts.
“This shared view helps the FAA, airlines and operators identify and agree on the most efficient routes and departure times,” the FAA said in a description of the AI tool.
The new system will be launched at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Reagan’s main runway is the busiest in the United States.
In January 2025, the airport was the site of the nation’s worst air disaster in decades when an Army helicopter collided with a passenger jet, killing everyone on both aircraft.
Air traffic controllers had complained about the volume of inbound airport traffic ahead of the crash.
The FAA awarded the contract to develop the AI technology in June to D.C.-based Air Space Intelligence.
The new technology is aimed at reducing flight delays, improving traffic flow and increasing airspace capacity.
“Once implemented, we will fundamentally reshape how the airspace is managed — slashing thousands of delays and cancellations in the process,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in June.
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