ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Rep. Don Beyer called on the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday to immediately suspend a new artificial intelligence-supported air traffic management system the agency began using the same day in the airspace around Washington, including at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
"The FAA should not use my constituents as guinea pigs for an unproven AI air traffic control system," said Beyer, a Democrat whose district includes Alexandria and National Airport and who co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus.
What the FAA launched
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford unveiled the system Monday. Called SMART, for Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories, it pulls together about 200 data streams — weather patterns, flight paths, traffic flow and controller staffing levels among them — and uses an AI-supported engine to project where congestion or weather could cause problems and recommend fixes ahead of time.
The FAA said it began using SMART in a limited mode Monday in the airspace around Washington and plans to expand it gradually to other parts of the country over the next several months.
The agency said the tool cannot replace air traffic controllers or take control of an aircraft. All of its recommendations are reviewed by FAA staff, according to the agency, and local leadership at air traffic control facilities can accept or pass on its scheduling suggestions.
The FAA said the system would mean fewer delays and cancellations, more efficient routing around weather and congestion, less stress on controllers and, eventually, lower fares. The chief executives of United, Delta, American and Southwest, along with the head of the airline trade group Airlines for America, praised the system in the agency's announcement.
"By fundamentally reshaping how we manage our airspace and preventing problems before they happen, SMART will slash those frustrating delays, reduce stress on air traffic controllers, and lower travel prices," Duffy said.
What Beyer says he was told
Beyer said he was informed Monday that air traffic controllers were not consulted on the system's design and development and were not trained on it before it was adopted at local airports. He said controllers had been told the system can adjust schedules and potentially even routes.
He also cited a Politico report Friday that airlines were privately panicking about how quickly the system was being rolled out.
Beyer said the administration did little to inform the traveling public before launching it in one of the most complex airspaces in the world, and that residents remain uneasy about air safety after last year's fatal midair collision near National Airport.
"It is unacceptable to use AI as a substitute for rebuilding the human-directed air traffic controller workforce," Beyer said. He called on the FAA to suspend the system at least until controller feedback and independently verified stress testing establish that it is safe.
The FAA says it has about 11,000 controllers in its towers, its highest staffing in a decade, and has brought a record 4,000 controllers into its hiring pipeline in the first 18 months of the Trump administration.
About 24 million people travel through National Airport each year, according to Beyer.
The Alexandria Brief has asked the FAA to respond to Beyer's statement.
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Ryan Belmore is an Alexandria journalist, neighbor, and the founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief. Send tips and feedback to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
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