Trump’s Transportation Department nominee says he will work to restore global confidence in Boeing Reuters
David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Transportation Department will tell a Senate committee on Wednesday that he intends to ensure global confidence in U.S. planemaker Boeing (NYSE: ) after the 2024 air emergency.
“I will work with Congress and the FAA to restore global confidence in Boeing and ensure that our skies are safe,” said Sean Duffy, a former representative of the US House of Representatives, according to written testimony seen by Reuters.
The Federal Aviation Administration is maintaining tighter oversight of Boeing indefinitely, a year after a door panel missing four bolts flew off Alaska Airlines’ new Boeing 737 MAX 9 in mid-air. It also prohibited Boeing from expanding production beyond 38 MAX planes per month.
Boeing had no immediate comment.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker plans to step down on January 20, while FAA Deputy Administrator Katie Thomson left the agency last week. Trump has not yet named a new candidate to head the department.
On Saturday, Trump said he was nominating Steve Bradbury, the DOT’s former general counsel, as DOT deputy secretary.
Duffy will face a number of problems in aviation, including a persistent shortage of air traffic controllers, outdated FAA facilities and a series of dangerous near misses.
The FAA is still about 3,000 controllers behind its staffing target and has about 10,600 certified controllers. In June, the FAA extended reductions in minimum flight requirements at congested New York area airports until October 2025, citing a shortage of air traffic controllers.
“In aviation, safety will remain a top priority. America needs more air traffic controllers,” Duffy’s written testimony said.
Duffy also said Trump told him the DOT is “a top priority for him and he wants to invest in rebuilding our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.”
Duffy said he would “work to reduce red tape that slows down critical infrastructure projects” and address the problem of US traffic deaths, which have risen to their highest level since 2005 since the start of COVID-19 and remain well above pre-pandemic levels. .
