FAA’s AI-Powered Air Traffic Management System Could Debut in September

Officials share new details of the Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (SMART) platform.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, June 18, 2026 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Transportation Department officials envision the system predicting airspace conditions up to six months in advance. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA plans to deploy SMART, an AI-powered air traffic management system, in September, initially targeting en route airspace at 24,000 feet and above.
SMART's primary function is to predict weather, traffic, and airspace conditions up to six months in advance, aiming to sharpen trajectory predictions and strategically deconflict schedules to reduce delays.
The system is designed as a workload reduction tool for human controllers, enhancing proactive airspace management without assuming responsibility for critical aircraft separation or safety-critical functions.

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The FAA this week provided fresh details on how Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (SMART)—an artificial intelligence-powered air traffic management system designed to predict weather, traffic, and other conditions months in advance—will initially be deployed.

Steve Fulton, an FAA senior certification advisor and technical pilot, said SMART’s initial operational demonstration will focus on en route airspace 24,000 feet and above, Aviation Week reported. The deployment is on track for September, he said.