WORLD NEWS | Biden appoints longtime Transportation official as acting FAA chief

WASHINGTON, June 9 (AP) — President Joe Biden has selected a longtime administration official and current top aide at the Transportation Department to serve as the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Polly Trottenberg replaces Billy Nolen, who said in April he planned to leave the FAA, the White House said on Thursday.

Read also | New York Governor Kathy Hochul called it an “emergency” after record air pollution in the US state.

Trottenberg held senior positions at the Transportation Department during the Obama administration, most recently serving as deputy to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

She led the New York City Department of Transportation from 2014 to 2020 and has served as an assistant to the U.S. Senate and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Read also | Syrian asylum seekers wounded eight in mass knife attack on children and adults in French town of Annecy (watch video).

The FAA, which oversees air traffic across the country, has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since Stephen Dickson resigned midway through his five-year term last March.

Since then, the agency has faced a shortage of air traffic controllers, a technical glitch that grounded flights across the country in January and several near misses between airline jets.

Biden’s nominee to replace Dixon was withdrawn this year after it became clear he would not be confirmed. Republicans say Phil Washington lacks sufficient aviation experience to run the FAA.

The White House said the administration is looking across the country for new candidates. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)