Written by David Koeng of AP Airlines
In order to make room for President-elect Donald Trump to appoint someone to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, the head of the agency, who has spearheaded a stricter enforcement strategy against Boeing since a panel blew off a Boeing jet in January, announced Thursday that he will resign next month.
In a statement to FAA staff, Mike Whitaker announced his impending departure. The FAA oversees the country’s airspace and regulates airlines and aircraft manufacturers.
Whitaker has faced difficulties such as an increase in near-misses, a lack of air traffic controllers and outdated technology during a period when air travel is in high demand, and the requirement for more oversight of Boeing.
According to Whitaker’s statement to staff, “Your dedication to the safety of the flying public is the reason why the United States has the safest and most complex airspace in the world.” I wanted to personally inform you that my term will end on January 20, 2025, as this has been the most rewarding and demanding position of my career.
After the Senate, which is usually split along partisan lines, voted 98-0 to ratify President Joe Biden’s choice of Whitaker, Whitaker assumed leadership of the FAA in October 2023. A prior Biden nominee retracted in response to Republican resistance, and the agency had been without a Senate-confirmed head for almost 19 months.
FAA administrators typically maintain a position that has historically been viewed as nonpartisan for five years, but this hasn’t happened recently. Stephen Dickson, Whitaker’s predecessor, similarly resigned before serving out his tenure.
Before becoming an executive for an air taxi firm, Whitaker was the Obama administration’s deputy FAA administrator.
A Boeing 737 Max lost a door-plug panel during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, less than three months after he was appointed administrator, raising new safety concerns for both the aircraft and the airline. Similar models were suspended by Whitaker, who also demanded that Boeing present a strategy to enhance manufacturing safety and quality.
According to Whitaker, the FAA’s supervision of Boeing had been too detached, too preoccupied with paperwork audits, and not sufficiently focused on inspections.
Since the door-plug blowout, the FAA has increased its enforcement cases against Boeing, the agency announced in August.
Before a hearing on the FAA’s air traffic control system, which has been beset by a lack of controllers and outdated equipment that malfunctioned in January 2023, resulting in over 1,300 flight cancellations and thousands of delays in a single day, senators from both parties praised Whitaker on Thursday.
The unanimous confirmation vote for Whitaker last year, according to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who had spearheaded the opposition to Biden’s original choice to head the FAA, was evidence of his experience, discernment, and apolitical disposition. He has skillfully guided the organization through a difficult time.
The head of the Senate aviation subcommittee, Senator Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., stated that Whitaker’s supervision of Boeing has been crucial. “His service has made our aviation system safer,” she remarked.
The Senate Commerce Committee, which will evaluate Trump’s candidate to succeed Whitaker, is chaired by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who stated that the successor must be prepared to take over the FAA’s safety culture and provide genuine oversight of the aviation industry right away.
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