Federal Aviation Administration head stepping down on January 20

 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) head Mike Whitaker announced he will be stepping down on January 20, 2025, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Whitaker became administrator in October 2023, to begin a five-year term. He previously served as deputy administrator from 2013 to 2016, and was also the FAA’s chief NextGen officer, responsible for the modernization of the FAA’s air traffic control system, moving from radar to satellite enabled surveillance.

“The United States is the safest and most complex airspace in the world, and that is because of your commitment to the safety of the flying public,” Whitaker wrote in a memo to FAA staffers announcing he’s leaving. “This has been the best and most challenging job of my career.

Whitaker notably clashed with SpaceX CEO and Trump ally Elon musk over the agency’s oversight of rocket launches, but an FAA spokesperson told CNN that Whitaker had some personal family issues that arose this year, which factored in the decision.

Musk called on Whitaker to resign in September, after Whitaker had testified before Congress and faced tough questions about the agency’s oversight of SpaceX.

Whitaker reiterated in his letter that despite the transition, air travel will remain “steady,” noting that the agency has plans in place to handle the transition of leadership.

His tenure included a major focus on quality control problems at U.S. plane maker Boeing following the January 5 incident in which a door plug blew off of a 737 Max flown by Alaska Airlines. In his farewell memo, Whitaker highlighted those actions.

“… it has not been business as usual for Boeing,” Whitaker said. “We have dramatically increased oversight, including more inspectors and closer scrutiny over production. We are also making sure the company implements a robust safety management system, which will be crucial to an enduring safety culture.”