On September 27, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the AI‑infused air‑traffic‑management system called SMART. On Friday the 13th, the FAA issued a national ground‑stop that halted airline schedules across the United States, citing a communications failure but saying there was no evidence of a cyber‑attack or that SMART caused the issue. At the same time, Joby Aviation completed a 3,200‑mile pilot‑less flight of a Cessna Caravan that required no human control intervention.
The abrupt ground‑stop highlights the operational risk of deploying AI systems like SMART without proven fail‑safe mechanisms, potentially eroding airline confidence and prompting regulatory scrutiny. The successful pilot‑less Cessna flight shows that autonomous aviation can scale, but also raises questions about safety oversight and liability as the industry moves toward fully AI‑controlled flights.