FAA head to step down as Trump takes office
December 13, 2024
US Federal Aviation Administration head Mike Whitaker is to step down on 20 January 2025 as incoming president Donald Trump – who has yet to select a successor – takes office.
His decision was met with regret by US Senator Maria Cantwell, chair of the Senate committee on commerce, science and transportation, who expressed how she was “saddened and surprised” by the news. “The next administrator needs to be ready on day one to continue the job of restoring the FAA’s safety culture and providing real oversight of the aviation sector,” she ventured.
Whitaker’s time at the FAA has been dominated by the agency’s implementation of increased oversight of Boeing and addressing issues of antiquated air traffic control equipment. His firm focus on fostering a strong safety culture was reflected in an email to staff, explaining his upcoming resignation. “The United States is the safest and most complex airspace in the world, and that is because of your commitment to the safety of the flying public,” wrote Whitaker. “As I conclude my time at the FAA, my confidence in you to meet our safety mission has never been stronger,”
Whitaker has served as administrator of the FAA since October 2023, when he was unanimously confirmed by the US senate and sworn in for a term of five years. The agency had been without a permanent head for more than a year and a half when Whitaker took up the role. The posting was not his first with the agency, having previously served as deputy administrator and chief NextGen officer under Obama’s government between 2013 and 2016 – punctuating a career dedicated to aviation.
Previous postings include 15 years as senior vice president of alliances, international and regulatory affairs at United Airlines, and chief commercial officer and operating officer of Supernal – the latter a role he held directly before taking the top job at the FAA. In his internal email, Whitaker reflected that his most recent role “has been the best and most challenging job of [his] career”.
Arguably the standout issue of Whitaker’s tenure was the agency’s increased oversight of Boeing 737 MAX quality issues. Following the loss of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282’s door plug at 16,000ft, the agency decreed “this incident should never have happened and it cannot happen again;” subsequently implementing a production cap, and increased safety compliance measures and monitoring. In September, Whitaker confirmed that although Boeing had taken steps to develop “its roadmap and plan for the path forward,” this nevertheless “does not mark the end of the FAA’s increased oversight of Boeing and its suppliers”.
“If you want to be the leader in aviation, you have to be the leader in aviation safety,” concluded Cantwell. “I think Administrator Whitaker was living by that motto. I hope that the next administrator will live by it as well”.
