Whitaker Reported as FAA Administrator Candidate

The White House declines to comment on whether it is considering former FAA Deputy Administrator Mike Whitaker for the top post.

Michael Whitaker has become the latest name floated as a potential FAA Administrator candidate. (Photo: Air Traffic Control Association)

By Mark Huber • Contributor

May 3, 2023

The White House officially declined to comment this morning on rumors that it planned to nominate Obama administration FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker as the next FAA Administrator. The move would follow the withdrawal of Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington from consideration for the post last month and the announced departure of acting Administrator Billy Nolen this summer.

Whitaker is the COO of Supernal, the air mobility division of Korean automaker Hyundai. An attorney and private pilot, he spent 20 years in the aviation industry, first with TWA in New York and Washington, where he served as assistant general counsel, then for 15 years with United Airlines, where he was senior vice president responsible for alliances and international and regulatory affairs. At United, Whitaker was responsible for the expansion of the airline's international routes and served on the management board of Star Alliance. He left United to become the group chief executive officer of InterGlobe Enterprises, the holding company for India's largest airline, IndiGo. He joined Supernal in 2021.

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