Regulatory Alert: FAA Announces Daniel Edwards as Associate Administrator for Airports

October 22, 2025

Today, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Daniel J. Edwards as the agency’s Associate Administrator for the Office of Airports. Edwards joined the Trump administration in May and has been serving as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs. In July, President Trump nominated Edwards to be the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs, who is responsible for the policies, programs, and plans for economic issues in domestic aviation and international transportation. His nomination is still pending. According to FAA, Edwards is currently serving as both the Associate Administrator for Airports and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs.
 
Prior to his role with the administration, Edwards served as CEO of Elliott Aviation, an aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business, and Triman Industries, Inc., a provider of military aftermarket distribution and supply chain services. According to his LinkedIn profile, Edwards held multiple positions at Zodiac Aerospace between 2004 and 2016, including serving as President between 2013 and 2016. Zodiac Aerospace developed emergency arresting systems, including the EMASMAX product, before being acquired by Safran in 2018.
 
Edwards replaces Jessica Sypniewski, who has been serving as Acting Associate Administrator for Airports since July. Sypniewski resumes her role within the FAA as Acting Deputy Associate Administrator for Airports.
 
DOT and FAA provided the following official biography for Edwards:
 
Edwards has dedicated his career to the aerospace and defense industries. His accomplishments have landed him atop diverse organizations spanning the public, private, and military space. Prior to joining DOT, he served as CEO of privately held businesses in aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), as well supply chain and distribution. Dan also has extensive business leadership in airborne C4ISR and airfield infrastructure. He was part of the team that worked closely with FAA to develop and commercialize EMAS, which protects commercial runways across the US and internationally against aircraft runway overruns.
 
Edwards served over 23 years in the USAF and USAF Reserves as both a KC-10 pilot and airfield civil engineer. He has flown over 100 combat missions, holds type ratings in the DC-10 and 757/767, and has accumulated over 4,000 flight hours as both a military and commercial pilot.