United States President Donald Trump has named Chris Rocheleau as the acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, in the wake of the American Airlines plane crash near Reagan National Airport.
Trump made the announcement during his remarks from the White House briefing room on Thursday.
Rocheleau, a former chief operating officer of the National Business Aviation Association, is ‘highly respected,’ Trump said.
As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly,” Trump added.
Really, we are in mourning. This has really shaken a lot of people.
Rocheleau worked at the FAA for more than 20 years and was previously chief operating officer of the National Business Aviation Association.
He joined the FAA in 1996 and left for nearly four years in 2002, in the early days of the Transportation Security Administration, to serve as a senior policy adviser.
Meanwhile, Mike Whitaker, who was unanimously confirmed as the FAA administrator in October 2023, stepped down on January 20 when Trump took office.
