Earlier coverage · The live desk
FAA begins limited rollout of AI-assisted air-traffic planning tool in Washington
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Three Washington-area airports become the first to use SMART
The FAA began limited use of its SMART airspace-planning system around Washington on September 21. The system combines about 200 data streams—including schedules, weather, capacity and operational constraints—to forecast traffic flows and flag potential conflicts. Reagan National, Dulles and Baltimore-Washington are the first airports receiving the capability. SMART provides recommendations; air-traffic controllers retain decision-making authority. The rollout is an initial operational deployment within a 12-year, $875 million contract, not autonomous control of aircraft. This briefing covers 2026-09-20T22:23:44.920Z through 2026-09-21T22:23:44.920Z. The timestamp is Nextgov publication metadata, not the deployment time.
DC-area airports first to deploy AI tool for airspace management · FAA Launches AI Air Traffic Control Tool at D.C. Airports