FAA Administrator resigns after drink-driving charges

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in disarray today following the resignation of its chief, Randy Babbitt following a drink driving arrest on Saturday.

Babbitt was keynote speaker at the GATE conference in Dubai last moneth and also spoke at a Royal Aeronautical Society event in the city at the same time.

He was arrested by police at the weekend in north Virginia, close to his home near Washington DC.

Today he resigned from his post. In a statement he said: "Today I submitted my resignation to Secretary Ray LaHood and it has been accepted. Serving as FAA Administrator has been an absolute honor and the highlight of my professional career. But I am unwilling to let anything cast a shadow on the outstanding work done 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by my colleagues at the FAA. They run the finest and safest aviation system in the world and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work alongside them. I am confident in their ability to successfully carry out all of the critical safety initiatives underway and the improvements that the FAA has planned. I also want to thank Secretary LaHood for his leadership and dedication to the safety of the traveling public."

PICTURED: Babbitt speaking at the RAeS event in Dubai last month