A group of 23 House Democrats is calling on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) deployment of two air traffic control management platforms, citing concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) safety and system reliability.
In an Oct. 13 letter to acting Comptroller General Orice Brown, Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. André Carson, D-Ind., ranking member of the Aviation Subcommittee, and 21 other committee Democrats requested an audit of the FAA’s Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART) and Flow Management Data and Services (FMDS) platforms.
“While technological modernization is essential, the FAA’s development and implementation of FMDS and SMART have generated considerable concern from Members of this Committee and key aviation stakeholders,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Concerningly, the nation’s frontline aviation safety workforce apparently had little to no input into SMART’s development and have received limited training and information during the current deployment process,” they continued.
The two platforms are part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to overhaul the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure through its Brand New Air Traffic Control System initiative, which aims to modernize major portions of the system by the end of 2028.
The FAA awarded a 12-year, nearly $876 million contract in June to software startup Air Space Intelligence to deploy the platforms.
FMDS is designed to replace the FAA’s aging Traffic Flow Management System, using flight plans, airline schedules, and real-time aircraft positioning data to identify congestion and improve traffic management.
SMART, meanwhile, operates as an enhancement within FDMS. It uses predictive AI to analyze approximately 200 data streams – including flight paths, airport capacity, controller staffing, air traffic control communications, and weather patterns – to generate flight routing and scheduling recommendations.
In September, the FAA began limited operations of SMART in the Washington, D.C., region, with plans to gradually expand SMART to other airports.
The lawmakers raised concerns about the potential for SMART to produce inaccurate information or interfere with decisions made by experienced air traffic controllers.
“The use of artificial intelligence within SMART has rightfully raised serious questions about its reliability and safety benefits, particularly on its potential to interfere with decision-making by experienced air traffic controllers or to hallucinate safety-critical information,” they wrote.
The letter also questioned whether the FAA adequately consulted frontline aviation workers during development and provided sufficient training before deployment.
According to the lawmakers, air traffic controllers and other frontline aviation safety personnel apparently had little input into SMART’s development and received limited information and training during the rollout.
They also questioned the FAA’s decision to pilot the technology in congested airspace, including the National Capital Region, rather than initially limiting deployment to less complex environments.
The lawmakers asked GAO to examine the FAA’s safety risk assessments for both platforms, including how the agency is evaluating SMART’s AI capabilities and how it plans to test and certify the systems for operational use.
They also want GAO to determine whether the FAA has established measurable performance standards for safety, effectiveness, and reliability, along with processes to continuously monitor performance and report results.
The requested audit would further examine the FAA’s coordination with airlines, its Air Traffic Organization, and frontline personnel; its approach to workforce training; and the rationale for selecting initial deployment locations.
The request follows a Sept. 14 GAO report that identified broader weaknesses in the FAA’s air traffic modernization planning.
“Transparency and accountability in the development and deployment of modern, data-driven air traffic control tools are essential to airspace safety,” the lawmakers wrote.
The Oct. 13 letter did not specify a deadline for GAO to complete the requested review.