FAA Gets 3 New Offices in ‘Long Overdue Overhaul’

‘Comprehensive’ restructuring creates new lines of business, makes leadership roles permanent, and shakes up organizational oversight.

Jack Daleo

Monday, January 26, 2026 at 05:15 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A ‘comprehensive’ overhaul gives the FAA three new offices dedicated to safety management systems (SMS), airspace modernization, and advanced air mobility (AAM) integration. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA announced its largest-ever structural overhaul, creating three new offices and making leadership roles permanent to streamline operations, with no job reductions.
This reorganization primarily aims to accelerate the multi-billion-dollar "Brand New Air Traffic Control System" (BNATCS) project, modernizing outdated radars, wiring, and communications with new digital infrastructure.
The new offices include an Aviation Safety Management System (SMS) Organization for centralized safety, an Airspace Modernization Office to manage BNATCS, and an Advanced Aviation Technologies Office to integrate emerging technologies like drones and air taxis.

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On Monday afternoon, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced what they dubbed a “long overdue” shake-up to the aviation regulator’s structure.

Duffy and Bedford said the “comprehensive” overhaul—which they described as the largest in the FAA’s history—will not result in reductions in force (RIFs). Instead, it creates three new offices, makes certain leadership roles permanent, and supports the agency’s three-year, multibillion-dollar Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) project.