Overview
- The FAA on Monday, June 22, 2026 awarded ASI a 12‑year, $875 million contract to build Flow Management Data and Services (FMDS) and the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART).
- SMART will use airline schedules, weather, airport capacity, airspace restrictions and other operational data to predict traffic flows and identify conflicts hours or days before flights depart.
- ASI says its Flyways AI platform is already in operational use with major carriers and the U.S. Air Force and expects FMDS and SMART to be rolled out over the next 12 to 24 months with initial SMART operations targeted this fall.
- Airlines and industry groups have privately raised questions about how the FAA will resolve competing flight claims and who will have final decision authority when capacity is limited, and some carriers doubt the tight fall timeline.
- The award is part of a larger Congress‑backed modernization drive that included $12.5 billion in 2025 funding, selection of Peraton as prime integrator in December, and agency warnings that further investment will be needed to complete the overhaul.