White House officially nominates new FAA chief

President Joe Biden on Thursday tapped veteran regulator and airline executive Michael Whitaker to be the next head of the Federal Aviation Administration, nearly 18 months after the last Senate-confirmed administrator left the post.

The year-and-a-half-long vacancy at the top of the agency has sparked significant concern from lawmakers amid a spike in aircraft near-misses, flight delays and cancellations and chronic staffing problems at air traffic control facilities — all as travel soars out of its pandemic-era trough.

Biden’s previous pick for the post, Phil Washington, withdrew his nomination in March amid tepid support from Democrats and criticism from some Republicans that Washington, a longtime transit leader, didn’t have the aviation experience necessary for the job.

Whitaker now must be vetted by the Senate before he can be confirmed. But he already has a cavalcade of industry support.

Airline trade group Airlines for America President and CEO Nicholas Calio urged “expeditious consideration” of Whitaker’s nomination, saying Whitaker has “extensive experience” and “a deep understanding” of the issues facing the agency.

Other industry groups, including the Regional Airline Association and the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, as well as unions like the Association of Flight Attendants, also endorsed the nomination.

Whitaker is currently the chief operating officer of Supernal, Hyundai’s electric aircraft spinoff. Whitaker previously served as FAA’s deputy administrator from 2013 to 2016, where he oversaw the transition to satellite-based air traffic control technologies.

He has also worked as group CEO of InterGlobe Enterprises, India’s largest travel conglomerate and operator of its largest airline, IndiGo, and spent 15 years at United Airlines working on commercial alliances and joint ventures, international and regulatory affairs and more. He was also assistant general counsel of international and regulatory affairs at Trans World Airlines. He is a private pilot.