The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched a new AI-powered platform called SMART, short for Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories, on September 21, according to a FedScoop report. 

The tool, built primarily to cut down on flight delays and cancellations, works by pulling together around 200 data streams, including weather, flight paths, traffic flow, and controller staffing, into one centralized view for aviation specialists, according to a Department of Transportation release. 

It went live in a limited mode over Washington, D.C. airspace, covering Reagan National, Dulles, and Baltimore-Washington airports.

Air Space Intelligence built the platform as part of a 12-year, nearly $876 million contract, according to FedScoop. 

Better Data, Better Decisions

According to the release, SMART uses predictive AI to help the FAA plan hours, days, and even weeks ahead, by forecasting airspace demand and weather constraints. Every suggestion it makes has to be reviewed by FAA staff and local air traffic control leadership before anyone acts on it.

“It’s always going to be a human that manages the airspace in America,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during a demo of the platform. “This tool won’t manage airspace, but it gives us better information, better data to manage the airspace.”

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said, “It’s all just about getting better data clarity and enabling traffic coordinators to make better decisions.”

Part of a Larger, Slower Modernization Push

The FedScoop report says SMART is one piece of a much bigger effort. The FAA is also digitizing paper flight strips, replacing analog communications, and overhauling other legacy systems, all part of a $12.5 billion plan to fix what Bedford has called “grossly archaic, obsolete” infrastructure.

That aging infrastructure caused a real problem just days before SMART launched, when an Amtrak construction crew in New Jersey accidentally cut a fiber line, causing a telecommunications outage that forced the FAA to pause flights across the Northeast.

Better AI Doesn’t Fix Weak Data Security

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published the same day found the FAA still has gaps in how it protects aircraft communications from electromagnetic threats like spoofing and jamming. 

The report warned that without stronger authentication and data protection, “malicious actors could exploit weaknesses and increase the risk of disrupted flight operations, aviation accidents, or safety incidents.”

Building on a Solid Foundation of Secure Data 

SMART is a clear example of a pattern chief data officers (CDOs) have seen play out again and again this year: pulling scattered data sources into one place is what actually makes an AI tool useful. 

Two hundred separate data streams becoming one centralized view is the real foundation here, the AI layer on top is only as good as that consolidation work.

That’s the same principle behind broader AI governance work: unifying data creates real value, but only if the infrastructure underneath it is trustworthy.