What happened
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has expanded its use of the AI-powered SMART system to the entire national airspace. According to an agency statement dated November 10, all 22 centers in the country are now included, after the system was first deployed in September in the Washington area. The FAA says the aim is to reduce delays and fuel consumption.
According to the agency, SMART has rerouted flights since its introduction on September 21. The FAA says this saved an average of 10 minutes and almost 80 gallons of fuel per flight. These figures come from the agency itself and have not been independently verified.
Background
According to an FAA fact sheet, SMART is a cloud-based system that combines information on weather patterns, flight paths, traffic flow and controller staffing. It makes recommendations for scheduling, flight routes and the order of arrivals. A team of FAA specialists based in Washington validates these recommendations before they are passed on to air traffic control facilities. The agency stresses that the system cannot replace air traffic controllers or take over control of an aircraft. Local controllers can accept or reject the recommendations.
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines supported the rollout, according to earlier FAA announcements.
Assessment
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association states that it was not consulted or involved in the design, testing or implementation of SMART and therefore cannot assess its effect on the controller workforce. It remains open how controllers use the recommendations in practice and whether the savings also apply to passenger flights. According to the Dallas Morning News, the FAA has so far cited only one example, a cargo flight, and has not provided information on passenger traffic.
Sources
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