Airport Alert: President Trump to Nominate Bryan Bedford to Serve as FAA Administrator

President Trump to Nominate Bryan Bedford to Serve as FAA Administrator
March 17, 2025

This evening, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Bryan Bedford to serve as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to a post he made to Truth Social. Bedford is currently the President and CEO of Republic Airways, a regional airline that operates service as American Eagle, Delta Connection, and United Express. If confirmed, Bedford would replace Chris Rocheleau, who has been serving as Acting FAA Administrator since January 30 when President Trump officially appointed him to the position in the aftermath of the tragic mid-air collision in Washington, D.C. Rocheleau would then return to serving as Deputy FAA Administrator.
 
Bedford has served as President and CEO of Republic Airways for over 25 years when he took the position in 1999. Prior to joining Republic, he served as President and CEO of Mesaba Holdings Inc. in Minneapolis and Business Express Airlines Inc. in Boston. During his time at Republic, the company touts that Bedford has grown the airline from $85 million in revenues and 36 turboprop aircraft to more than $1.3 billion in revenues with a fleet of over 200 Embraer aircraft.
 
Bedford’s nomination now heads to the Senate, where it will first be considered by the Senate Commerce Committee. If confirmed, Bedford will have to tackle a range of issues at FAA that have been in the spotlight recently, including addressing concerns over aviation safety following the tragic D.C. mid-air collision; the administration’s ongoing efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce; helping advance the administration’s priority to work with Capitol Hill to modernize air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure; and addressing the ATC controller shortage; among other issues.