Biden nominates Denver airport CEO Phil Washington to head FAA

Just a year after Phil Washington took over as Denver International Airport’s top leader, President Joe Biden has made it official: Washington is his pick to head the Federal Aviation Administration.

The White House announced Wednesday that Biden planned to nominate the airport’s CEO as the next FAA administrator, several weeks after news leaked that he was in contention for the job. Washington has spent much of his career at public transportation agencies after two decades in the Army — making the DIA job his first with direct involvement in aviation.

If Washington wins Senate confirmation, the potential loss at DIA has given heartburn to some Denver City Council members.

The vacancy would come during Mayor Michael Hancock’s final year in office, likely making it difficult to nominate a new CEO for such a short period before a new mayor takes office in July 2023. The position pays $346,975 a year, tops among mayoral appointees.

“I never thought I’d be in a position of asking someone to turn down a White House appointment, but I believe this puts our airport status into such uncertainty” at a time when strong leadership is needed, Councilman Kevin Flynn told The Denver Post last month, following early reports about Washington’s potential nomination.

At-large Councilwoman Debbie Ortega also recently expressed concern, requesting that the mayor’s office brief council members on plans to keep DIA’s momentum going.

Industry observers have said Washington’s outsider status, along with deep experience in public administration, could be an asset as the FAA recovers from high-profile oversight failures in recent years, including two crashes of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

More recently, the FAA and the airlines have attempted to work together to reduce wide-ranging disruptions and flight cancellations due in part to staffing shortages among flight and ground crews. The airlines have pointed to shortages of air traffic controllers in some places as causing or compounding delays, too.

“His independence and lack of industry ties may make him a good person for the present moment at the FAA,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who has followed the agency’s struggles. “One major issue will be whether there is time before the midterms for the Senate to confirm him, and that seems unclear.” masstransitmag.com