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 a comprehensive organizational overhaul, described as the largest in its history, to streamline bureaucracy, encourage innovation, and accelerate the deployment of a new air traffic control system.
The reorganization establishes three new offices: an Aviation Safety Management System (SMS) Organization, an Airspace Modernization Office to manage the Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) project, and an Advanced Aviation Technologies Office to integrate emerging aviation technologies.
This significant shake-up aims to support the multi-billion-dollar BNATCS project—replacing outdated infrastructure with modern digital systems—and involves no reductions in force, instead creating permanent leadership roles and consolidating functions.

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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.