U.S. FAA's top air traffic control official to step down from agency
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's top air traffic control official plans to leave the agency as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump prepares a major overhaul of the unit's antiquated technology systems.
Tim Arel, chief operating officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization, has accepted a buyout offer extended to personnel at many agencies and plans to depart after a transition period of a few months, the agency said in a statement. Arel joined the FAA as an air traffic controller in 1989 and had planned to retire by the end of the year, the agency said.
The Trump administration is preparing what's been billed as a major overhaul of the systems used to manage some 45,000 U.S. flights that carry about 2.9 million passengers each day. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said he's working on a comprehensive plan that he's shared with Trump and soon intends to relay to lawmakers. Duffy has called on Congress to provide up-front funding for the effort.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office warned in a December report that the FAA needed to take urgent action to update its systems, noting that a 2023 risk assessment found 76% were either unsustainable or potentially unsustainable.
Upgrading outdated air traffic systems has gained additional attention in the wake of the January midair collision near Washington that killed 67 people, the worst U.S. civil aviation disaster in decades.
Trump administration officials haven't said how many federal employees have accepted the government's latest round of buyout offers, which were sent to staff at several agencies. Transportation Department employees had until April 7 to accept the offer, which allowed workers to continue getting paid for months after leaving their role.
The move was similar to the January "Fork in the Road' offer backed by Trump adviser and Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, who is overseeing a push to cut government spending and reduce the size of the federal workforce.
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