The Federal Aviation Administration is set to reboot the nation’s airspace with a major technology upgrade, aiming to make air travel more efficient and safer. The FAA has awarded an $875 million contract to Air Space Intelligence, a company that has already helped Alaska Airlines optimize its operations, to develop a new system called SMART.
The contract is part of a broader effort to modernize the US airspace, which is currently seen as “woefully unorganized” by FAA officials. Air Space Intelligence’s technology has already shown promising results with Alaska Airlines, helping the airline save tens of thousands of hours in the air and roughly a million gallons of fuel per year.
Airspace Modernization
The FAA’s plan to overhaul the nation’s airspace is a significant undertaking, with the goal of using technology to prevent bottlenecks and congestion before they happen. The SMART system will provide air traffic controllers with a unified view of the national airspace, allowing for more efficient routing and scheduling of flights.
Alaska Airlines has been using Air Space Intelligence’s Flyways system since 2021, which provides dispatchers with real-time information on air traffic, weather, and other factors to anticipate and optimize flight routes. The system has been successful in reducing fuel consumption and flight times, and the FAA hopes to replicate this success on a national scale.
The FAA’s head, Bryan Bedford, believes that predictive analytics can make the entire US airspace work better, and the agency is betting on Air Space Intelligence’s technology to deliver this transformation. The company has already worked with several major airlines, including Delta and United, and has also partnered with the US Army and Air Force.
Implications and Next Steps
The implications of the FAA’s plans are significant, with the potential to reduce congestion and delays in the nation’s airspace. The agency’s goal is to help air traffic controllers, not replace them, and the new system is expected to provide them with more efficient tools to manage air traffic.
As the FAA moves forward with its plans to modernize the nation’s airspace, the success of the SMART system will be closely watched. The broader significance of this effort lies in its potential to transform the way air travel is managed, making it more efficient, safer, and more sustainable for generations to come.
