Why It Matters: The F.A.A. has lacked a permanent leader for 17 months.
The F.A.A. has been without permanent leadership since Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive and an appointee of President Donald J. Trump, stepped down last year.
Mr. Biden’s first nominee for the post, Phillip A. Washington, the chief executive of Denver International Airport, withdrew from consideration in March after running into resistance in the Senate.
The failure of Mr. Washington’s nomination has prolonged the leadership void atop the agency. The F.A.A. official who served as acting administrator after Mr. Dickson’s departure, Billy Nolen, left the agency in June.
Polly Trottenberg, the deputy transportation secretary, has been serving as the F.A.A.’s acting administrator, but she will have to turn over the reins to another temporary leader in late October because of a federal law that limits how long she can run the agency on an acting basis.
Background: It’s been a bumpy stretch for the airline industry.
Mr. Whitaker would take the helm of the F.A.A. at an eventful time.
Travelers have flocked to the skies as the coronavirus pandemic has receded, and a series of near collisions around the country has raised concerns about safety. A New York Times investigation published last month found that near misses involving commercial airliners have been happening far more frequently than previously known.
Passengers have also endured a string of delays and cancellations, including when an F.A.A. system outage in January forced a halt to flights nationwide.
In Washington, Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to reauthorize the F.A.A., giving lawmakers an opportunity to leave their imprint on the nation’s aviation policies. The House passed a bill in July that would reauthorize the agency for the next five years, but the Senate has yet to act. Lawmakers may end up passing an extension to buy themselves more time.
What’s Next: The Senate will consider the nomination.
Mr. Whitaker’s nomination will go before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, the panel where Mr. Washington’s nomination ran aground.
Mr. Washington had spent most of his career in the Army and at transit agencies, and Republicans senators painted him as unqualified to lead the F.A.A. But Mr. Whitaker has a long résumé in the aviation industry, so he is likely to fare better on that front. A lawyer by training, he became certified as a private pilot during his stint as the F.A.A.’s deputy administrator.
“America needs a confirmed F.A.A. administrator, and Mike Whitaker is the right leader for the job,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “He knows aviation, he knows safety, he knows the F.A.A. and he knows how to manage and modernize large organizations.”
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, was noncommittal about the president’s selection.
“After several near misses, chronic air traffic controller staffing shortages and ongoing problems with implementing new technology at the F.A.A.,” Mr. Cruz said in a statement, “we must carefully evaluate Mike Whitaker’s qualifications, experience and temperament to determine whether he is the right person to lead the agency at this critical juncture.”
