WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators are backing a federal air traffic modernization push that pairs a new predictive flight-management platform with $284 million in upgrades to towers, radars, communications systems and other infrastructure across the state.
Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick endorsed the Transportation Department’s Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories initiative, known as SMART, which is designed to combine weather, flight-path, traffic-flow and controller-staffing data into a single operational platform.
The system centralizes 200 data streams and uses an AI-supported engine to help aviation specialists anticipate congestion, weather disruptions and capacity constraints before they develop into larger problems. The FAA began limited operations around Washington, D.C., this week and plans to expand the system gradually.
SMART is intended to supplement, not replace, air traffic controllers. FAA personnel review the system’s recommendations, and local facility leadership can accept or reject scheduling suggestions.
The technology is being deployed alongside a broader $284 million package of air traffic control improvements in Pennsylvania, with completion expected by 2028.
The Pennsylvania work includes 1,059 new radios at 101 sites and high-speed fiber connections at Philadelphia International Airport, Pittsburgh International Airport and Harrisburg International Airport.
The FAA also plans new internet protocol voice switches at 12 locations, including Williamsport and Erie, as well as new controller information display systems at nine airports.
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are slated to receive electronic flight strips and surface movement radars. Nineteen new radars are planned at 11 locations, while Surface Awareness Initiative technology intended to improve runway safety will be installed at six airports.
Tower simulation systems are also planned for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, Harrisburg International Airport and Erie International Airport.
“Modernizing our air traffic control system is critical to keeping Pennsylvanians safe and our airports competitive,” McCormick stated, pointing to the $284 million investment as a way to improve reliability and controller technology.
Fetterman, who toured the SMART Lab with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, described the system as a shift from reactive to predictive air traffic management.
The FAA characterizes SMART as a planning layer that works alongside existing systems, providing predictive information about demand, capacity and weather while helping operators identify routing and scheduling conflicts earlier.
Transportation officials contend that better advance planning could reduce delays, cancellations, fuel use and controller workload, though the system is still in the early stages of deployment. Airline executives from United, Delta, American and Southwest have publicly supported the effort while emphasizing its potential to improve operations if implementation performs as intended.
The broader modernization program is also replacing telecommunications lines, radios, radars, and flight-strip systems nationally, with the federal government targeting completion of its current 13 workstreams by the end of 2028.
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