Michael Huerta Confirmed by the U.S. Senate as FAA Administrator

Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. Senate is capable of getting something done.  Today, on New Year’s Day nonetheless, they confirmed Michael Huerta as FAA Administrator.  Huerta has been serving as the acting administrator since Dec. 2011, and previously served as deputy Administrator starting in June 2010.

Huerta was originally nominated to become the FAA administrator by President Obama in March 2012, but had to wait nine months for his confirmation to go through.  I am sure this was no surprise to Mr. Huerta as he had to wait over five months to be confirmed as deputy Administrator.

This confirmation, which carries a term of five years, will provide some much-needed stability for the FAA in tandem with the FAA reauthorization which was signed by President Obama last February.  Based on his success in his previous roles there is great reason for optimism.

His first real claim to fame was as a managing director for the 2002 Olympics overseeing the transportation outlets for the Games.  Having lived through the transportation mess that existed before the Olympics, and enjoyed the improvements afterward, I can personally attest to the success of his efforts.

His confirmation is already being applauded by aviation organizations such as GAMA.