Originally Posted by
emma dog
I am not a lawyer so am only guessing that the authority resides in 14 CFR section 119.65. Management personnel required for operations. While CEO isn’t listed specifically, (d) seems to apply since they manage control over operations.
The Washington Post article listed above quotes the Acting Assistant Secretary of Transportation as saying “
Lorenzo has failed to show that he "has sufficient management ability to ensure that {his new airline} meets safety requirements, or that he is likely to comply voluntarily with legal requirements.”
You are right that it doesn’t describe management of an existing airline. But that wasn’t the issue at hand with this ruling… the ruling addressed his starting a new airline. There are other quotes that I can see in a NY Times archived article (
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/tim...?pageNumber=67) that quotes Lorenzo stating he had been found fit eight times previously and was found unfit for his new venture. The process to declare him unfit is described as rarely used. However, “under
Lorenzo's supervision, Eastern Airlines and Texas Air had "experienced operational, maintenance and labor-related problems that were among the most serious in the history of U.S. aviation."
Oh, that's definitely possible that (d) would grant the regulators authority over anyone in management. It's not how I read it, but I can certainly see the argument and you may very well be right. I'm still not convinced that Lorenzo was ruled to be unfit to serve in any management position at any airline, but I definitely appreciate the citation and can see how the DOT could potentially have that authority.