FAA chief Whitaker to step down in January when Trump takes office

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Federal Aviation Administration chief Mike Whitaker, who has overseen the agency's response to significant safety issues at Boeing since a mid-air emergency in January, will step down when President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a close adviser to Trump, in September called for Whitaker's resignation and harshly criticized the FAA's decision to impose a $633,000 fine on SpaceX after the agency said the company violated launch license requirements.

Trump has said he plans to oust many officials before their terms expire but had not specified plans for the FAA.

Whitaker, who was confirmed to a five-year term as FAA administrator in October 2023, will leave his position on Jan. 20, the day Trump is inaugurated for his second term in the White House.

"As I conclude my time at the FAA, my confidence in you to meet our safety mission has never been stronger," Whitaker said in a memo to employees on Thursday. 

Former U.S. Representative Sean Duffy, who is Trump's nominee to head the Transportation Department, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that Trump will nominate a new FAA administrator "who is strong and capable and ready to roll." He added that a deputy would be in place on Jan. 20 to oversee the agency.

Duffy said he wants to make sure the FAA has enough air traffic controllers and "that we have safe planes coming out of Boeing."

The FAA also said Deputy Administrator Katie Thomson will step down on Jan. 10, which will mean Mark House, the agency's assistant administrator for finance and management, will be the agency's senior acting official during the transition.

Whitaker told Reuters last week that he was unsure if he would stay beyond Jan. 20 as conversations with the transition team continued. 

 His tenure has been consumed with addressing Boeing safety issues after a door panel missing four key bolts blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 jet at 16,000 feet (4,877 m).

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat who heads a subcommittee on aviation, said she was saddened about Whitaker's departure and praised his oversight of Boeing. "I hope the effort he spearheaded on that front will continue," she said.

The FAA chief took the unprecedented step of capping Boeing's production at 38 737 MAX planes per month in January and has insisted the company make dramatic safety improvements before he would restore authority.

Whitaker, who announced another audit of Boeing in October, has said it could take five years for the company to reform its safety culture, but noted the planemaker has deployed a new parts management system and improved training.

He has also dealt with continuing air traffic control staffing issues and a series of near-miss incidents that have raised safety concerns.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Andrea Ricci, Paul Simao and Matthew Lewis)