Fri, Jan 03, 2025
Whitaker’s Replacement Awaiting Confirmation from the Trump Administration
Recent speculation indicates that current JSX CEO Alex Wilcox is the front-runner to replace Mike Whitaker as the next Federal Aviation Administration head. Though this is unconfirmed by President-elect Donald Trump, industry stakeholders have quite a bit to say about the prospective candidate.
Current administrator Mike Whitaker announced on December 12 that he would be stepping down from the role upon Trump’s January 20 inauguration. Since he only got the gig in October 2023, his resignation will come just 15 months into a supposedly five-year term.
Whitaker’s replacement will have a relatively hefty plate of challenges to overcome after taking office. The most significant task will be recovering Boeing’s former status and production rates following a year of safety issues and worker battles. Another will be properly managing the rapidly expanding commercial space operations and handling the air traffic controller shortage.
All signs are currently pointing to Alex Wilcox, the current CEO of Part 135 airline JSX, being the man for the job. He has no true government experience, but has been involved in aviation for his entire career. Wilcox started at Southwest Airlines, later moving to Virgin Atlantic Airways. He then helped form JetBlue Airways, JetSuite, and JetSuiteX, which turned into JSX in 2019.
For now, at least, JSX is attempting to keep its name out of the political mess. It stated: “Alex is squarely focused on the business of JSX — we have no comment on matters pertaining to the Federal Aviation Administration.”
Responses to the candidate have been mixed. On one hand, Wilcox brings extensive industry experience and credentials to the table. He knows what he’s talking about and could have some useful insight into what steps are needed to ensure safety in the National Airspace System (NAS).
On the other hand, pinning Wilcox as the next FAA lead opens a big conflict of interest. JSX utilizes a sort of loophole by flying under Part 135, knocking out the 1500-hour rule for its pilots.
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