FAA takes AI traffic advice nationwide, with controllers retaining the final say

The FAA is taking AI-generated air traffic advice nationwide, citing shorter flights and fuel savings from its Washington-area deployment. But the expansion comes with a gap in workforce participation: the air traffic controllers’ union says it was not involved in designing, testing or implementing the system that will now advise facilities across the country.

In a November 10, 2026, statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said it would extend SMART to the airspace covered by all 22 air route traffic control centers. The agency described its September introduction in the National Capital Region as successful and said the wider deployment would reduce delays and fuel consumption.

The FAA says SMART has helped reroute 180 flights since it began operating over Washington, DC, on September 21. The agency reports average savings of 10 minutes and almost 80 gallons of fuel per flight. Those figures describe the initial deployment, not nationwide results.

Advice passes through two human decisions

SMART is a cloud-based system that draws on weather patterns, flight paths, traffic flow and controller staffing metrics, according to the FAA’s fact sheet. It uses those inputs to predict air traffic patterns and recommend schedules, flight routes and the order in which aircraft should arrive.

A Washington-based team of FAA specialists validates the recommendations before passing them to air traffic control facilities. Local controllers then decide whether to accept or reject the advice.

cannot be used to replace the critical role air traffic controllers play or take over control of an aircraft

FAA, describing SMART in its September 21 deployment announcement

A shorter cargo route, limited passenger detail

Before the nationwide announcement, SMART’s coverage had already reached centers in Atlanta, Jacksonville and Miami, according to The Dallas Morning News, as cited by Ars Technica.

The FAA also gave the newspaper an example: SMART recommended a shorter, faster route for a cargo flight arriving at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The newspaper noted that the agency did not identify the flight and had not provided information about how the system may have assisted passenger flight traffic.

Airline support, a union participation gap

The FAA’s initial deployment announcement included supportive statements from Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian and American Airlines CEO Robert Isom.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents more than 15,000 members, told Flying magazine it had not been consulted or involved in SMART’s design, testing or implementation. As Ars Technica reported, the union said it therefore could not speak to the system’s effect on the air traffic control workforce.