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's AI-powered Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (SMART) system is scheduled for initial deployment in September, focusing on en route airspace 24,000 feet and above.
SMART is designed to predict airspace conditions, weather, and traffic months in advance to strategically deconflict schedules, reduce delays, and optimize airspace use.
The system will serve as a workload reduction tool for human controllers, who will retain responsibility for safety-critical functions like separating aircraft, as AI sharpens trajectory predictions.
The FAA is reportedly close to awarding the SMART contract, with Air Space Intelligence (ASI) emerging as the likely recipient among the three competing firms.

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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.