The Senate voted 98-0 to approve President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday, ending a span of nearly 19 months in which the agency was without a Senate-confirmed chief.

What You Need To Know

  • The Senate on Tuesday voted 98-0 to approve Michael Whitaker, President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration

  • Whitaker is a former deputy FAA administrator and most recently served as chief operating officer of a Hyundai affiliate that is developing an air taxi

  • He will take over an agency that faces many challenges, including a surge in close calls between planes at major airports, a shortage of air traffic controllers, and aging technology that resulted in a brief nationwide halt in flights in January

  • The FAA has been without a Senate-confirmed administrator since March 2022, when Stephen Dickson stepped down midway through his five-year term

Michael Whitaker is a former deputy FAA administrator and most recently served as chief operating officer of a Hyundai affiliate that is developing an air taxi.

Whitaker will take over an agency that faces many challenges, including a surge in close calls between planes at major airports, a shortage of air traffic controllers, and aging technology that resulted in a brief nationwide halt in flights in January.

Whitaker's confirmation seemed assured last week, when members of the Senate Commerce Committee endorsed him unanimously.

On the Senate floor Tuesday, committee chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said Whitaker's priorities will be to "build a strong safety culture, attract new talent and keep pace with technology transformation."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg hailed the Senate for "quickly" moving to confirm Whitaker.

"With his three decades of aviation experience, Mike has earned broad bipartisan support because it’s clear he has the expertise and disposition to successfully lead the agency from day one," he said in a statement.

"With decades of experience in aviation and managing large organizations, he has the skills and experience to get big things done for the FAA," the White House wrote on social media.

Whitaker was Biden's second choice for the job. The nomination of Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington languished for months, then failed to get out of the Commerce Committee because of opposition from Republicans and independent Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.

The FAA has been without a Senate-confirmed administrator since March 2022, when Stephen Dickson stepped down midway through his five-year term.