FAA’s head of air traffic retires early as agency replaces senior managers at Reagan National Airport

Tim Arel, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Organization, will retire early as part of the second round of buyouts at the Department of Transportation. 

Arel, who has been working at the agency for four decades, had planned to retire at the end of 2025 but will now depart in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition, the FAA told CBS News in a statement.

As the chief operation officer of the Air Traffic Organization, Arel is responsible for ensuring the safety of air traffic services for approximately 50,000 aircraft operating every day. 

But in the wake of the deadly midair collision in January, a series of concerning close calls and a fist fight in the tower between employees, the FAA brought in a new management team to the air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport, CBS News has confirmed. Three senior managers were replaced as part of this move.

“We brought in a new DCA management team to ensure strong support for the workforce,” the FAA said in a statement. “Their priorities will include: reviewing safety data trends while preventing/correcting drift, performance management and ensuring facility training is robust and consistently meets national standards.”

Last week, the FAA announced a series of changes for Reagan National Airport, including increasing the Operational Supervisor staffing from six to eight and increasing support for its air traffic controller team as part of its response to the Jan. 29 midair collision between an American Airlines flight and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people.

The new safety measures came days after a fight broke out between employees inside the air traffic control tower. Officers arrested 39-year-old Damon Gaines of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, according to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police. Gaines was not among the managers who were replaced, CBS News confirmed.

In addition to serious safety concerns over the tower fight and the mid-air collision, two sources specifically mentioned the close call between a Delta Air Lines flight departing Reagan National and an Air Force jet at the end of March. The FAA said it is investigating the incident.   

Kris Van Cleave

Emmy Award-winning journalist Kris Van Cleave is the senior transportation correspondent for CBS News based in Phoenix, Arizona, where he also serves as a national correspondent reporting for all CBS News broadcasts and platforms.