Biden nominates a former Obama official to run the Federal Aviation Administration
President Joe Biden has nominated a former Obama administration official to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, which has been without a permanent leader for a year and a half
President Joe Biden on Thursday nominated a former Obama administration official to lead the Federal Aviation Administration after his first choice withdrew in March after running into opposition from Republican senators.
The White House said Biden nominated Michael G. Whitaker, a former deputy administrator at the FAA. He is currently the chief operating officer of a Hyundai affiliate working to develop an air taxi aircraft.
Whitaker's nomination had been expected for months, and Biden's announcement was praised by several industry and labor groups.
The FAA, which regulates airline safety and manages the nation's airspace, has been run by back-to-back acting administrators since March 2022.
The agency faces a number of challenges including a shortage of air traffic controllers, aging technology, and alarm over close calls between planes at major airports. In addition, Congress is deliberating over legislation that will direct the agency's operations for the next five years.
Whitaker worked as a lawyer for TWA, which was absorbed by American Airlines, spent 15 years at United Airlines, where he became a senior vice president and oversaw international and regulatory affairs, then moved to InterGlobe, a travel company in India.
He was deputy FAA administrator — a job that does not require Senate approval — from 2013 to 2016. He is currently the chief commercial officer for Supernal, a Hyundai subsidiary that is working on an electric-powered air taxi — which would need FAA certification to fly in the United States.
The White House said
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