FAA Developing ATC Tech to Predict the Future

Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (SMART) system could shift air traffic control from reactive to predictive.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 05:20 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford (left) and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speak at the inaugural Modern Skies Summit in Washington, D.C. [Jack Daleo/FLYING]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA is developing SMART, an AI-based air traffic control software designed to predict airspace conditions (weather, traffic) months in advance to strategically manage air traffic, reduce delays, and improve system predictability.
SMART aims to significantly reduce air traffic controller workload by enabling pre-planning and deconfliction, allowing controllers to focus on critical situations rather than direct aircraft separation.
This AI initiative is a key component of the FAA's broader Brand New ATC System (BNATCS) modernization, which also includes extensive upgrades to antiquated infrastructure such as wiring, radios, and radar systems.
Despite confidence in the technology and progress in other modernization areas, the FAA currently lacks dedicated congressional funding for SMART's deployment, which is needed to get the software ready within the next few years.

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FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and other federal and industry stakeholders on Tuesday shed new light on a planned air traffic control (ATC) software that could predict airspace conditions days, weeks, or even months in advance.

Duffy first alluded to the AI-based software, called SMART (Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories), on Friday. According to Frank Matus, director of uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) integration for Thales, the FAA’s vision is to predict weather, traffic, and other conditions “somewhere between six months and up to hours before operation.”