US FAA acting chief Billy Nolen to leave agency

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) acting chief, Billy Nolen, will leave the regulator this summer after the White House nominates a new administrator, Nolen announced Friday.

“I’m immensely proud of what we accomplished together,” Nolen wrote in a farewell letter to FAA employees, pointing to certification reform, new flight attendant rest rules and progress on certifying electric air taxis as achievements the FAA made during his tenure.

“We have not been afraid to act to preserve the safest era in aviation history but to also say that our current record is not good enough,” he wrote in the letter. “We should build a system so safe it doesn’t require heroic intervention.”

The Wall Street Journal was first to report the story.

The move is set to create a leadership vacuum at the aviation regulator after Reuters reported last month that President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the agency was withdrawing his nomination after criticism from Republican lawmakers.

Senator Ted Cruz, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, had said he would support Nolen as FAA administrator nominee if tapped by the White House.

However, Congressional and industry officials said in recent weeks they did not think the White House would pick Nolen for the top job.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Nolen “has kept safety as the FAA’s north star through one of the most complex periods in modern aviation.”