FAA, ATO Deputy COO
Tim Arel was appointed as the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Deputy Chief Operating Officer (DCOO) of the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) in January 2017. The ATO encompasses more than 30,000 employees. As Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Arel oversees the daily operation of the ATO and is responsible for safe, efficient, and secure air traffic operations across the entire National Airspace System. In his role, he supports and executes the vision of the FAA Administrator and ATO Chief Operating Officer and provides leadership and direction. Mr. Arel ensures the continued synchronized and timely delivery of air traffic services while deploying, implementing and integrating airspace modernization, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and commercial space operations into the National Airspace System. As such, he has led the development of effective and innovative solutions to support the development of automated processes to effectively support the new entrant community as drones become part of the daily operational landscape.
Mr. Arel was the Vice President of Air Traffic Services from 2015 through 2016, and has served as the Deputy Vice President of both Air Traffic Services and Safety and Technical Training. He held numerous other safety leadership roles in the ATO, including managing the ATC Investigations Team, the Compliance Services Group, the Quality Assurance Group, the Safety Services Group, and as Director for Safety.
Mr. Arel began his FAA career as an air traffic controller in 1989, is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and has a background in Public Safety having worked as an emergency medical technician, firefighter and police officer.