Republic CEO’s Confirmation Hearing Set for June 11

The US Senate Commerce Committee will hold a nomination hearing on June 11 to consider Bryan Bedford as the next Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. The hearing, scheduled for 10:00 am EST, will be chaired by Senator Ted Cruz.

Bedford, the current CEO of Republic Airways, was nominated by President Trump earlier this year. He would replace acting FAA head Chris Rocheleau, who stepped in after former administrator Mike Whitaker resigned on Inauguration Day, just two years into his five-year term.

Senator Cruz, in announcing the hearing, showed just how crucial Bedford’s hearing would be. He referenced serious ongoing safety and infrastructure concerns at the FAA, including NOTAM system outages, air traffic control ground stops, and a fatal January mid-air collision involving an American Airlines regional jet and a military helicopter.

“For too long, the FAA has relied on technology from the 1960s and 1970s that is unable to reliably handle the anticipated growth in airspace use,” Senator Cruz stated. “The next FAA administrator will need to provide strong and steady leadership to complete modernization projects in a timely manner but also to identify and implement what the future of the FAA and America’s airspace should be – while accommodating new and current users.”

Bedford’s background includes executive leadership at several regional carriers, including Business Express and Mesaba Holdings, before taking over Republic Airways in 1999. Under his leadership, Republic grew to operate over 200 Embraer aircraft and posted revenues above $1.3 billion. However, it also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016, reemerging the following year.

Despite past setbacks, Bedford has been recognized repeatedly within the airline industry. He has received multiple Airline Executive of the Year honors and holds a commercial pilot license, a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance from Florida State University, and is a certified public accountant.

Still, many are concerned that Bedford isn’t the man for the job. He has previously suggested cutting pilot training hour requirements in half for graduates of Republic’s LIFT Academy. Whether this denotes a mindset for problem-solving or cutting corners will be left for the Senate to decide.

FMI: www.senate.gov