“President Donald Trump Nominates Bryan Bedford as New Head of FAA”
U.S President, Donald Trump, is nominating Republic Airways CEO, Bryan Bedford, to Head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the face of growing scrutiny, following a series of air crashes, reports reuters.com.
The FAA position has been vacant since January 20th, when FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker stepped down a little more than one year into a five-year term when new U.S President, Donald Trump, took office. Bedford may replace the brief interim administrator, Chris Rocheleau.
Bedford’s nomination has won praise from across the airline industry.
Adam Goldstein, co-Founder and CEO of Archer Aviation posted on Linkedin, “Love the pick for FAA Admin by President Trump. Great to have a former airline CEO in the role. Looking forward to working with Bryan Bedford to build on conversations I had with Secretary Duffy a few weeks back.”
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) remarked on its website, “Bryan Bedford’s depth of experience as a business leader, his firsthand knowledge of aviation as a pilot and airline executive as well as his reputation for innovation, make him well qualified to serve as FAA administrator.”
Reuters writes, “Bedford, a pilot and industry veteran of more than 30 years, previously headed two other carriers and oversaw a significant expansion of Republic Airways. Indiana-based Republic is one of the biggest regional airlines in North America, operating a fleet of more than 200 Embraer aircraft with 900 daily flights in the United States and Canada. The flights operate under airline partner brands American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express.
President Trump remarked, “Bryan brings over three decades of experience in Aviation and Executive Leadership to this critical position.”
Meanwhile, the FAA has been embroiled in a series of air accidents including the January 29th tragic mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an army black helicopter above the Potomac River, close to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Virginia. The crash was responsible for 67 deaths.
Other recent accidents include fatal crashes of small planes in Alaska and Philadelphia; a regional Delta jet that flipped upon landing in Toronto; and a near miss at Chicago Midway involving a Southwest Airlines jet.
Reuters continues, “If picked, Bedford will face key decisions including when to let Boeing expand production of its 737 MAX beyond the current 38 plane-per-month cap and when to approve two new variants of the best-selling plane.
The new Republican U.S Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, recently stated that Boeing “has lost its way and lost the trust of the American people.”
First responders search crash site of American Airlines Flight 5342 and Army Black Helicopter (Credit: Michael A. McCoy for NPR)
Last Friday (March 14th), the FAA said it was imposing permanent restrictions on non-essential helicopter operations at Reagan National after urgent recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Meanwhile, Duffy has stated he’ll ask Congress for at least USD10 billion to overhaul the nation’s aging and over-stretched air-traffic-control system. The FAA is around 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and in some places controllers are working six days a week, using mandatory overtime.
News Source: https://www.reuters.com/
(Top image: Bryan Bedford – credit @secDuffy)
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