By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee said on Wednesday it would hold a June 11 hearing on President Donald Trump's nomination of Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford to head the Federal Aviation Administration.

Bedford, a pilot and industry veteran of more than 30 years, was nominated in March and previously headed two other carriers and oversaw a significant expansion of Republic Airways, which operates regional flights for American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

Indiana-based Republic is one of the biggest regional airlines in North America, operating a fleet of more than 200 Embraer aircraft with 900 daily flights in the United States and Canada. In April, Mesa Air Group agreed to merge with Republic in an all-stock deal.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has asked Congress for tens of billions of dollars to modernize the aging U.S. air traffic control system to address airport congestion, flight delays and a shortage of 3,500 certified controllers.

The FAA's air traffic control network's woes have been years in the making, but a rush of high-profile mishaps, near-misses and a catastrophic crash in January involving an American Airlines regional jet operated by PSA Airlines and an Army helicopter killed 67 and prompted new calls for action.

The next FAA administrator will also face challenges on how to oversee Boeing and when to lift a production cap of 38 planes per month on the 737 MAX imposed after a January 2024 mid-air emergency.

The FAA last month convened an emergency task force and said it was fast-tracking urgent steps to prevent additional telecom outages at the facility overseeing Newark air traffic after three incidents have shaken public confidence and disrupted hundreds of flights.

Controllers overseeing planes at the busy airport near Manhattan lost contact with aircraft on April 28 for 90 seconds, an incident that raised serious alarm.

Last month, the FAA ordered a reduction in flights to a maximum of 28 arrivals and 28 departures per hour at Newark until runway construction was completed.

Duffy wants new funding for airport equipment to prevent near-miss incidents and new incentives to boost air traffic controller hiring and retention.

Airlines and others have called for at least $31 billion in spending. The U.S. House has passed legislation that includes $12.5 billion in initial spending on air traffic control reform, including $2.5 billion for air traffic tower and contract-tower replacements.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Jamie Freed)