FAA’s Rollout of SMART AI System Left Out ATC Union

NATCA says it ‘has not been involved in the design, testing, or implementation’ of the program.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford (left) and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced SMART in April at the inaugural Modern Skies Summit in Washington, D.C. [Credit: Jack Daleo]

Key Takeaways:

The DOT and FAA have initiated the rollout of SMART, an AI-based program aimed at modernizing air traffic control by identifying and mitigating potential conflicts and optimizing routes to reduce disruptions.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Union (NATCA) has voiced concern over its exclusion from SMART's development and deployment, stressing that new technology should complement, not replace, human controllers' judgment.
SMART's initial deployment is a scaled-back "limited mode" in the Washington D.C. area, focusing on same-day delays, with airlines generally supporting its potential despite earlier concerns about its maturity.

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The Transportation Department said Monday that it and the FAA began rolling out SMART, an AI-based program intended to identify and mitigate potential conflicts in the National Airspace System weeks before they occur.

But the union representing tens of thousands of American air traffic controllers told FLYING that it has had no involvement in the system’s development and initial deployment.