A new air traffic management system will use flight schedules, weather and airport capacity to anticipate congestion before it disrupts travelers
Flight delays are one of the biggest frustrations for travelers in the United States. Now, the Federal Aviation Administration is turning to predictive technology to try to reduce them.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford met with executives from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines to discuss the rollout of a new air traffic management system designed to identify potential disruptions before they spread across the country.
The technology is part of a broader modernization of the U.S. air traffic control system.
Predicting problems before flights leave
The new approach combines information that traditionally comes from different parts of the aviation system. Flight schedules, weather forecasts, airport capacity, airspace conditions and real-time aircraft positions can be analyzed together to anticipate congestion hours before it happens.
The FAA says predictive modeling can also help controllers and airlines find faster reroutes around storms and other disruptions. That matters because a problem at one major airport can quickly affect flights thousands of miles away.
An aircraft arriving late in Chicago, for example, may operate another flight later in the day. The crew and passengers making connections can also be affected, allowing one disruption to spread through an airline’s network.
Airlines join the discussion
Bedford met with airline executives as the government prepares to expand the technology. The FAA has faced pressure to modernize air traffic control as passenger demand, severe weather and shortages of air traffic controllers continue to challenge the system.
The agency recently had to reduce flight capacity at some major airports, including Chicago O’Hare and airports serving the New York area.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has publicly supported the new technology, saying better coordination could help reduce delays and cancellations during weather disruptions.
Part of a much larger modernization
The technology is connected to a broader multibillion-dollar effort to update America’s aging air traffic infrastructure. The FAA’s Flow Management Data and Services platform is designed to balance the number of aircraft trying to use the system with the actual capacity available at airports and in the airspace.
According to the agency, the system can project congestion hours in advance and use real-time information to optimize traffic patterns. The FAA awarded Air Space Intelligence an $875 million contract covering 12 years as part of the implementation.
For passengers, the changes will not eliminate thunderstorms, hurricanes or other events that close airspace. The goal is to give airlines and air traffic controllers more time to respond before those disruptions turn into hours of delays across multiple airports.
Source: Federal Aviation Administration, Reuters
