The Senate has confirmed Stephen Dickson to be the next FAA administrator. Dickson, a former Air Force pilot, spent 27 years at Delta, climbing the ranks from pilot to SVP of flight operations before retiring last year. The FAA has not had a permanent administrator since Michael Huerta stepped down in January 2018. President Donald Trump nominated Dickson in March. He replaces acting FAA administrator Daniel Elwell and will serve a five-year term.
Dickson's confirmation vote was mostly split along party lines, 52 to 40. All Senate Democrats either abstained or voted against his confirmation.
During confirmation proceedings, Democrats criticized Dickson for not disclosing to the Senate in his nomination questionnaire his involvement in an ongoing lawsuit against Delta. The suit surrounds a controversial situation during Dickson's tenure as Delta SVP of flight operations that involved alleged retaliation against a pilot who had raised concerns about the carrier's safety practices.
At the time of Dickson's retirement, Delta CEO Ed Bastian commented, "Steve has ensured that Delta Flight Operations is the best in the world, overseeing day-to-day flight operations on six continents, as well as pilot training, pilot standards, technical support, pilot staffing and scheduling and quality assurance and compliance functions." And Airlines for America president and CEO Nicholas Calio commended his confirmation: "Steve Dickson is uniquely qualified to serve as administrator of the FAA. He has the vision, knowledge and experience to lead the FAA at this crucial time for the agency and for commercial aviation." While at Delta, Dickson served on committees advising the FAA, including the NextGen Advisory Committee.
Dickson comes in as the FAA faces heightened scrutiny—for its initial approval for the Boeing 787 Max aircraft to fly in 2017 and then for being the last regulator around the world to ground the aircraft—after two fatal 787 Max crashes, in October 2018 and March 2019.
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