Bryan Bedford, the president and CEO of US regional carrier Republic Airways, has been nominated by US President Donald Trump to serve as administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“Bryan brings over three decades of experience in aviation and executive leadership to this critical position,” said Trump in a post on his social media site, Truth Social.
The FAA has been without an administrator since Trump took office on January 20, 2025, after former head Mike Whittaker stepped down from the top position. Since then, the FAA has been run on an interim basis by deputy administrator Chris Rocheleau.
Following the announcement of Bedford’s nomination, airlines and industry groups have publicly backed the decision.
If appointed, Bedford will assume the new role at a turbulent time for US aviation, following a number of recent aviation incidents and widespread call for regulatory improvements.
Just last week US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that Boeing has lost its way and has lost the trust of the American people, while on a visit to the manufacturer's facility in Seattle on March 14, 2025.
This visit to Boeing comes after the Transportation Secretary announced last month that he would visit the manufacturer himself, in order to evaluate measures that have been implemented to ensure Boeing's planes meet safety standards.
Bedford will oversee a decision to potentially lift a monthly production cap of 38 737 MAX jets, imposed by Whittaker in early 2024.
When asked by Fox News if restrictions on the number of planes produced by Boeing would be lifted, Duffy said that both Boeing and the FAA are “not there yet”, but he will continue to watch and analyse the manufacturers progress.
Related posts
Increased TSA ticket fees introduced
22nd July 2014