The AIR (or A.I.R.) system (often referred to as a 'smog pump') is designed to assist in burning the unburned portion of the exhaust gases and reduce the hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide content of the exhaust.

The AIR system, put simply, supplies oxygen to the exhaust gases in the exhaust manifold to burn it off.

Many early enthusiasts removed these and plugged the holes in the exhaust manifolds. Reasons varied from 'robbing horsepower' due to the extra belt required to operate the system to, in many cases, difficulty in replacing spark plugs or simply to clean up the engine compartment and rid it of 'unnecessary' clutter. Today, original A.I.R. equipment is highly sought after by classic car restorers to return their classic cars back to factory original appearance. Since most of the discarded components immediately went into trash cans, even those that were stored seemingly got lost, they can be very expensive today to locate correct components.