Acting FAA head announces he will step down this summer

Agency faced issues with safety, flight delays and cancellations.

Billy Nolen, the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration, announced Friday he will leave the agency this summer after a new nominee is named. Nolen wrote in a letter to colleagues that leading the agency has been “a dream that any aviator would envy,” adding he had informed the White House and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about his decision. While Nolen is staying until the administration nominates a successor, his departure injects more uncertainty into an agency that has faced struggles on several fronts in recent months. “I have given everything to this agency, and now it’s time to do the same for my family, who have sacrificed so much and supported me during my time at the FAA,” Nolen wrote. In a statement, Buttigieg praised Nolen’s leadership during a difficult time for a regulatory agency that has increasingly faced the scrutiny of lawmakers and the public. “He has kept safety as the FAA’s north star through one of the most complex periods in modern aviation,” Buttigieg said in a statement. “I can speak for everyone at DOT in saying that his skill and expertise are a great asset to this department, and will continue to be as FAA prepares for its upcoming leadership transition.” The FAA has been under pressure from airlines and passengers to accommodate a growing number of air travelers as flight delays and cancellations have risen. The agency also has been working to rebuild its image in the wake of two deadly Boeing Max jet crashes after investigations questioned whether the agency was too deferential to the aerospace giant in certifying the jet. Earlier this year, the FAA came under scrutiny for the outage of a key pilot alert system, which forced it to ground the nation’s air traffic for the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks. Meanwhile, several near misses involving aircraft also has raised questions about the safety of the domestic aviation system. In response to concerns, Nolen announced a fresh review of internal incident data and said the FAA would take steps to improve collaboration within the agency. He also convened an industry safety summit in March. Nolen was appointed as acting administrator in April 2022 after Steve Dickson had stepped down a month earlier, halfway through his five-year term. In July 2022, President Biden nominated Phil Washington, a 24-year Army veteran and chief executive of Denver International Airport, to lead the agency but his nomination stalled in the Senate. At a confirmation hearing last month, Washington faced tough questions from GOP lawmakers who said they didn’t think he was qualified to lead the agency — criticisms Washington’s supporters dismissed as partisan attacks. Later that month, Washington withdrew his name from consideration.

Billy Nolen