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

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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 launched SMART, an AI-based program aimed at proactively identifying and mitigating air traffic conflicts, modernizing the ATC system, and improving operational efficiency.
While airlines are actively involved and anticipate benefits like reduced delays and optimized routing, the National Air Traffic Controllers Union (NATCA) has expressed concerns over its lack of involvement in SMART's development and deployment, emphasizing the importance of human judgment.
SMART is currently undergoing a limited initial rollout in the Washington, D.C. area, with plans for gradual expansion, following a smaller deployment than initially anticipated and some prior apprehension from airline industry officials.

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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.