Chris Rocheleau, a seasoned official of the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA
), has returned to the regulator and assumed the role of Deputy Administrator.
Old yet new leadership
According to a report by The Air Current, citing multiple people familiar with the matter, Rocheleau was sworn in as the new Deputy Administrator of the FAA, replacing Mark House, who was the acting Deputy Administrator.
The FAA’s Administrator role remains vacant. However, it could be filled soon following the inauguration of Donald Trump, the new President of the United States, who picked Sean Duffy to lead the Department of Transportation ( DOT
).
Photo: The Bold Bureau | Shutterstock
Congress, or specifically the US Senate, approved Duffy’s nomination during an almost three-hour hearing on January 15, with the new leader of the DOT being approved by Senators on both sides of the aisle.
Nevertheless, Rocheleau, whose most recent role was the chief operating officer (COO) at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), will return to the FAA, where he spent more than 20 years during his career.
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The new administration’s moves
Rocheleau became the first FAA official to be sworn in by the new administration. According to the NBAA, he served the FAA for over 20 years in multiple roles, including as the acting associate administrator for aviation safety, chief of staff, assistant administrator for policy, international affairs and environment, executive director for international affairs, and director of the office of emergency operations and investigations.
Photo: FAA
He joined the NBAA’s ranks as the COO of the association in April 2022, replacing the retiring Steve Brown, who was with the NBAA for 18 years. Rocheleau’s role within the association encompassed activities related to aircraft and flight department operations and administrative, financial, and human resources functions.
In October 2022, Rocheleau was elected to the board of directors of the non-profit association Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA), succeeding Brown as the NBAA’s representative on the RTCA’s board.
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Leadership void
Still, the FAA is without an Administrator, a role that Joe Biden’s administration struggled to fill. Since Stephen Dickson left the agency in March 2022, Billy Nolen and, subsequently, Polly Trottenberg have served as the acting administrators of the FAA.
In July 2022, Biden nominated Phil Washington, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Denver International Airport
(DEN), to lead the regulator, resulting in a months-long debate in Congress about his experience and abilities to become the administrator of the FAA.
Eventually, in March 2023, a year after Dickson left the FAA, Washington withdrew from the one-man race. In response, Pete Buttigieg, the now-former Transportation Secretary, said that Washington’s transportation and military experience made him an excellent nominee for the role.
“The partisan attacks and procedural obstruction he has faced are undeserved, but I respect his decision to withdraw and am grateful for his service.”
Congress finally found a person to lead the FAA in October 2023 when the Senate confirmed Whitaker in a unanimous 98-0 vote. Whitaker left the FAA on January 20 after announcing his intentions to do so in December 2024.
Photo: FAA
In an interview with Reuters in December 2024, Duffy said that Trump would have a deputy to oversee the regulator on January 20. In his prepared remarks before his confirmation hearing, Duffy said that safety will remain the top priority in aviation, adding that the National Airspace System (NAS) needed more air traffic controllers (ATC).
“We must modernize our systems with cutting-edge technology. I will work with Congress and the FAA to restore global confidence in Boeing and to ensure our skies are safe.”
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Before leaving for the NBAA, Rocheleau’s latest role was the acting Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety of the FAA, leading the effort to set safety standards and oversee all aspects of the aviation industry, including airlines, plane makers, maintenance organizations, advanced air mobility, uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), and aviation professionals.
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