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White House Nominates Former Delta Air Lines Executive as F.A.A. Chief White House Nominates Former Delta Executive Stephen Dickson as F.A.A. Chief
(32 minutes later)
Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive, was nominated by the White House to become the permanent head of the Federal Aviation Administration, an agency facing scrutiny following two deadly crashes in less than five months. Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive, was tapped by the White House on Tuesday to become the permanent head of the Federal Aviation Administration, an agency facing scrutiny after two deadly airplane crashes in less than five months.
Mr. Dickson was chosen amid intensifying calls worldwide for the F.A.A. to explain its approval of the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, the jet involved in the disasters. Earlier this month, an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed, killing 157 people. Mr. Dickson was chosen amid intensifying calls worldwide for the aviation agency to explain its approval of the Boeing 737 Max, the jet involved in the two accidents, an Ethiopian Airlines crash this month and a Lion Air crash in October.
Mr. Dickson retired as Delta’s senior vice president of flight operations this fall after 27 years at the company. He is a former U.S. Air Force officer, Air Force Academy graduate and F-15 fighter pilot, according to Delta. Mr. Dickson retired as Delta’s senior vice president of flight operations last fall after a 27-year career at the company during which he flew commercial routes and also oversaw safety, pilot training and regulatory compliance. He is a former U.S. Air Force officer, Air Force Academy graduate and F-15 fighter pilot, according to Delta.
The F.A.A. has been run by Daniel Elwell, the acting administrator, since January 2018. Previously, he was the agency’s deputy administrator and was appointed to the role by President Trump in June 2017. “Steve is passionate about safety and has a deep understanding of the needs of the aviation industry and the traveling public,” Michael Huerta, a former F.A.A. administrator.
In the past, Mr. Trump toyed with the idea of naming his personal pilot, John Dunkin, to the top F.A.A. position. The F.A.A. has been run by an acting administrator, Daniel Elwell, since January 2018, when Mr. Huerta’s term ended. Mr. Elwell, a longtime commercial pilot, was previously the agency’s deputy administrator, a role he was appointed to by President Trump in June 2017.
In the past, Mr. Trump toyed with the idea of naming his personal pilot, John Dunkin, as the aviation agency’s permanent administrator.
Mr. Dickson was “extremely well regarded” at Delta, where he was seen as “a man of great integrity,” said Henry Harteveldt, the founder of the travel analysis firm Atmosphere Research Group.
“That will be very, very important as a character trait for the new head of the F.A.A.,” Mr. Harteveldt said.
In 2016, Mr. Dickson wrote in an op-ed for USA Today that a proposal to privatize the national air traffic control system and remove it from F.A.A. oversight — a suggestion supported by Mr. Trump — was “a bad idea for many reasons.”
If confirmed by the Senate to a five-year term as the F.A.A.’s leader, Mr. Dickson will be responsible for guiding the agency’s response to criticism of its safety-certification process and its response to the Boeing crashes. The agency hesitated to ground the 737 Max even after safety regulators from several other countries made the move.
On Tuesday, Elaine Chao, the transportation secretary, asked the inspector general of her department to conduct an audit of the F.A.A.’s decision in 2017 to clear the 737 Max to fly.