Federal officials investigate AI tool’s possible role in nationwide flight ground stop
SMART’s contractor denies any connection to the communications disruption. Officials have not established that the AI system caused it.
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3 key pointsA federal inquiry is examining whether the FAA’s expansion of SMART contributed to the communications failure that halted departures nationwide on November 13, 2026. Officials have not established a link: the outage affected all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, while contractor Air Space Intelligence says neither SMART nor its FAA/ATC integration caused it. The investigation puts the rollout of a new airspace-management tool under scrutiny, but the cause of the disruption remains unresolved.
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The FAA began introducing SMART in September and, according to Futurism, expanded it nationwide earlier in the week of the halt after using it in Washington, DC.
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The Transportation Department says SMART uses real-time weather, airport congestion and flight-path data to adjust and streamline routes.
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The FAA says SMART is intended to help controllers reduce delays and fuel consumption and improve passengers’ travel experience.
A nationwide halt to flight departures on November 13, 2026, has put the Federal Aviation Administration’s new AI traffic-management system under scrutiny. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said federal agencies are investigating whether SMART contributed to the telecommunications disruption that triggered the ground stop.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the ground stop followed a communications issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians were investigating the problem.
Mullin described the disruption as a telecommunications issue and said there was no threat to the public.
The rollout that preceded the disruption
The FAA began introducing SMART in September, with plans to extend its use. Futurism reported that the agency took the tool nationwide earlier in the week of the ground stop, following its use in Washington, DC.
SMART stands for Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories. The Transportation Department describes it as a tool for adjusting and streamlining flight routes using real-time information. Its inputs include weather conditions, airport congestion and flight paths—information intended to help traffic managers respond to changing conditions.
In a November 10 statement cited by Futurism, the FAA described SMART as intended to help controllers reduce delays and fuel consumption and improve passengers’ travel experience.
Air Space Intelligence, the government contractor behind SMART, rejected a connection between its technology and the ground stop. In a statement quoted by Futurism, the company’s denial covered both its products and their integration with the FAA and air traffic control:
The current ground stop is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI or our integration with FAA and ATC
Air Space Intelligence, in a statement quoted by Futurism
Human oversight remains part of the rollout
According to information presented at the news conference, FAA specialists are expected to remain involved in operating and overseeing SMART during its rollout.
The contractor’s categorical denial stands alongside an ongoing federal inquiry. Officials have not established that SMART caused the communications disruption.
Sources
- click2houston.comFAA investigating whether new AI technology contributed to nationwide ground stop
- futurism.comEntire US Airspace Shut Down Days After the FAA Rolled Out an AI Air Traffic Tool. Was It a Coincidence?
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