Former U.S. Senate aide appointed as FAA international policy chief

The Air Current
Will Guisbond
24 February 2025

The Trump administration has appointed Simone R. Pérez as the assistant administrator for policy, international affairs, and environment at the Federal Aviation Administration (known as APL-1), an agency spokesperson confirmed to The Air Current. 

Pérez, a former aviation and space policy director for Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and the Senate Commerce Committee, is one of the earliest political appointees to be slotted in at the FAA by the Trump administration — one of several line-of-business heads who are chosen by the President. In this new role, she will be responsible for leading the FAA’s international strategy, as well as acting as a chief advisor to the administrator on a host of political and environmental issues. Pérez, who also previously worked as the senior director of civil aviation at the Aerospace Industries Association, replaces Laurence Wildgoose, who was appointed by President Joe Biden.

Read on: Former U.S. Senate aide appointed as FAA international policy chief - The Air Current