The White House officially declined to comment this morning on rumors that it planned to nominate Obama administration FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker as the next FAA Administrator. The move would follow the withdrawal of Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington from consideration for the post last month and the announced departure of acting Administrator Billy Nolen this summer.
Whitaker is the COO of Supernal, the air mobility division of Korean automaker Hyundai. An attorney and private pilot, he spent 20 years in the aviation industry, first with TWA in New York and Washington, where he served as assistant general counsel, then for 15 years with United Airlines, where he was senior vice president responsible for alliances and international and regulatory affairs. At United, Whitaker was responsible for the expansion of the airline's international routes and served on the management board of Star Alliance. He left United to become the group chief executive officer of InterGlobe Enterprises, the holding company for India's largest airline, IndiGo. He joined Supernal in 2021.
Previously at the FAA, Whitaker was responsible for initiatives including the NextGen air traffic control modernization program. In an interview with National Public Radio this past January, Whitaker said privatizing air traffic control was a “possible solution” to the agency’s ongoing need for stable funding. He also praised Nolen’s job performance, and noted that the FAA was "in a time of transition.”
“You need investment, not just to keep the current system running, but to accommodate new technologies, like flying air taxis,” Whitaker said, adding that the FAA needed “to build [its] bench. I think it is important to invest in the people.”