The agency is under pressure to modernize outdated air traffic control systems that have contributed to a series of outages, near-misses and deadly accidents in recent months.
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Bryan Bedford as the next administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, handing a longtime airline executive the reins of a beleaguered agency at a critical moment for air travel safety.
Mr. Bedford, who was confirmed largely along party lines, has pledged to spearhead a crucial modernization effort as the F.A.A. works to address staffing challenges and to upgrade outdated air traffic control systems that have contributed to a series of outages, near-misses, and deadly accidents in recent months.
Last week, Congress approved $12.5 billion for the agency, funding that was praised by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as a “down payment” toward improvements.
But Mr. Bedford rankled Democrats last month when he would not commit to holding all commercial pilots to a federal requirement to complete 1,500 hours of training, a standard he had criticized as the chief of Republic Airways, a regional airline.
The 53 to 43 vote, in which Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire was the only Democrat to support Mr. Bedford, reflected how his skepticism about certain safety regulations splintered support for his nomination along partisan lines.
“He has failed to show he’ll put the safety of airline passengers above protecting airlines’ profits,” Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, said on the chamber floor Wednesday morning. “He is the wrong choice for anyone worried about aviation safety, particularly at a time like this.”
