Phillip Washington, the CEO of Denver International Airport, has been proposed by President Joe Biden as the next administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. Biden administration officials are familiar with Washington. He participated in Biden’s transition in late 2020 and oversaw a group that advised the incoming administration on transportation matters. After former pilot and Delta Air Lines CEO Stephen Dickson resigned on March 31, the FAA is currently run by acting director Billy Nolen.

The FAA has under criticism for its approval of the Boeing 737 MAX airliner, which was later implicated in two fatal incidents, as well as for its tardy response to concerns that new wireless networks would interfere with vital equipment aboard flights. Airlines have accused the FAA of delaying or cancelling numerous flights this summer, in part due to a lack of air traffic controllers.

Washington has a limited resume in aviation. He has been the top executive at the Denver airport only since last July. He has been closely tied to a plan to improve the airport for growth expected over the next 10 years, and called for building two new runways in addition to one under construction.

In order to reduce delays, United recently cut back on its Newark, New Jersey, schedule. Flights have been reduced by other carriers such as Delta, JetBlue, and Southwest so they won’t be overloaded when usual interruptions occur.
The FAA expressed appreciation for the measures airlines are taking to enhance performance in a statement, but noted that more must be done to reduce cancellations and delays.

“It is unfortunate to see United Airlines conflate weather-related Air Traffic Control procedures with ATC staffing difficulties, which may lead one to believe falsely that the majority of those circumstances are due to inadequate FAA staffing.