On Tuesday, the United States Senate voted 98-0 to confirm Micheal Whitaker to become the next Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). President Joe Biden nominated Whitaker to lead the organization in September.

The FAA had been without a Senate-confirmed leader since Steve Dickson stepped down in early 2022. Since then, Billy Nolan and Polly Trottenberg have served as interim FAA administrators.

Whitaker’s nomination had been endorsed by a number of aviation and uncrewed systems companies and organizations. The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and released statements in support of Whitaker’s confirmation.

Whitaker’s nomination was also endorsed by the Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA). In September, Lisa Ellman, Executive Director of the CDA, said, “The commercial drone industry can offer many societal benefits, but only if policy keeps up with technology. We are counting on Mike Whitaker’s leadership to spur action on long-awaited regulatory items such as beyond visual line of sight and expanded drone operations, which will ultimately usher in the next era of advanced aviation.”