WASHINGTON, D.C. — In Washington, House Democrats are demanding a closer look at an artificial-intelligence traffic tool the FAA switched on Sept. 21 at Reagan National, Dulles, and Baltimore/Washington International.
The FAA’s SMART platform is meant to flag congestion and recommend route or timing changes using more than 200 data feeds. Controllers still clear aircraft; managers review the suggestions.
A letter led by Virginia Rep. Don Beyer and two House colleagues asks Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the FAA’s top administrator for answers by Oct. 19 on safety testing, training, and whether any review steps were skipped before the 90-day trial.
Separately, nearly two dozen Democrats on the House panel that oversees roads and aviation asked the Government Accountability Office to audit how the FAA is building and using the new tools. Ranking member Rick Larsen and Aviation Subcommittee Democrat André Carson led that request.
SMART sits inside a broader modernization push that includes an $875 million, 12-year contract with Air Space Intelligence awarded in June for SMART and a companion flow-management system. Lawmakers say airline executives and controllers had little say before the Washington-area launch.
The scrutiny follows the January 2025 midair collision near Reagan National that killed 67 people. Officials have not tied any accident to SMART, but critics want proof the system was stress-tested for storms, outages, and other disruptions before wider use.
