The churn at the top of the Federal Aviation Administration continues.
On 12 December, the agency said FAA administrator Michael Whitaker, who held the post since October 2023, will step down on 20 January, the same day president-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to be sworn into office.
“This has been the most-challenging job of my career,” Whitaker said in a 12 December email to all agency staff. “As I conclude my time at the FAA, my confidence in you to meet our safety mission has never been stronger.”
The FAA administrator is appointed by the US president and must be confirmed by the US Senate. The president also appoints acting administrators, though it is unclear if the outgoing president Joe Biden will do so.
Whitaker’s email notes that FAA deputy administrator Katie Thomson will also leave the agency, on 10 December.
Mark House, now assistant administrator for finance and management, will succeed Thomson as acting deputy administrator. House has worked at the agency for more than two decades and “is uniquely qualified to guide the FAA and ensure a smooth transition”, Whitaker writes.
“You have seen leadership come and go – and through every transition you have kept air travel steady and safe. This transition will be no different,” he adds in his email to staff.
The FAA administrator job has changed hands several times in recent years. During that period, the agency has been challenged to ensure proper oversight of Boeing and to developing new rules, including those applicable to air taxis and commercial drones.
Prior to Whitaker becoming administrator in October last year, the FAA had been headed by acting administrator Polly Trottenberg, who had succeeded acting administrator Billy Nolen.
The prior administrator had been Stephen Dickson, who had been appointed by President Trump and held the position for less than three years, from August 2019 until March 2022.
Dickson had succeeded Michael Huerta, who was administrator for four years and who departed shortly before Trump’s first administration started, in January 2017.
