SMARTS solution for airspace design and configuration

Abstract

This paper presents the SMARTS solution for airspace design and dynamic configuration in European air traffic management. The approach addresses the critical need for increased airspace capacity through intelligent sector management using artificial intelligence and optimization algorithms. The SMARTS solution comprises three main components: Basic Volume Design; Sector Design employing mixed integer linear programming for optimal sector boundaries; and Dynamic Configuration using graph-based optimization for near real-time configuration planning. Validation was conducted at Madrid Area Control Center (ACC) using 2023 traffic data. The results show that the SMARTS solution successfully balances air traffic controller workload, improves capacity utilization, and introduces a local resilience KPI for monitoring robustness toward a reliable framework for future European airspace architecture. The system delivers operationally viable configurations that align with real-world air traffic management needs while maintaining flexibility for various operational scenarios.