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 Department of Transportation and FAA have launched SMART, an AI-based system designed to predict and mitigate air traffic conflicts and optimize routes, starting with a limited rollout in the Washington D.C. airspace.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Union (NATCA) claims it was excluded from SMART's development and deployment, expressing skepticism and emphasizing that new technology should complement, not replace, controllers' professional judgment.
Airlines are actively involved in SMART's rollout and express optimism that the system will significantly reduce delays and cancellations, despite the initial deployment being smaller than previously anticipated.

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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.