The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will introduce a system that uses AI to forecast air traffic volume and flight delays. It plans to adjust flight plans before aircraft depart to respond to controller staffing shortages and ageing infrastructure.

TechCrunch reported on Sept. 17 that the FAA is nearing initial operations of its air traffic management software SMART. The FAA signed a 12-year, $875 million contract with developer Air Space Intelligence. The contract also includes building SMART and the supporting air traffic data and services system, FMDS.

SMART stands for Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories. It uses AI to analyse airline schedules, weather, airport capacity and airspace conditions to forecast traffic flows and potential operational conflicts. The system is designed to help the FAA, airlines and others adjust departure times and flight routes based on the same information. If weather worsens or airport congestion develops, it updates its forecasts and recommendations.

It plans to start in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area before expanding to other regions. The FAA said it aims to begin initial operations this autumn and apply it nationwide after checking system performance.

The project is to build a tool to support air traffic controllers. It is not a model in which AI replaces controllers or directly flies aircraft. The FAA is also moving separately to expand controller hiring and modernise existing air traffic systems. Whether AI forecasting leads to a real reduction in flight delays must be confirmed during phased operations.