Economy

FAA boss Dickson: US aviation oversight chief unexpectedly takes his hat

The head of the US Federal Aviation Administration, Steve Dickson, announced his resignation on Thursday after only half his term in office. As a reason for the sudden resignation, Dickson states that he wants to spend “more time with his family”. He will leave his post at the end of March and his successor has not yet been decided.

editorial staff
17 Feb 2022 19:20

The chief of the US Federal Aviation Administration, Steve Dickson, is stepping down after only half of his five-year tenure. Dickson said in an email to FAA officials that he made the difficult decision to step down from the post at the end of March to have more time with his family.

It’s time to go home. https://t.co/Pb5IUDsu4C pic.twitter.com/Y7gsnAtAef

– FAA Steve Dickson (@FAA_Steve) February 17, 2022

US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg thanked the 64-year-old for his services on Thursday. Dickson took over as head of the agency in August 2019. Before that, he had been deployed as a pilot for decades.

Dickson was promoted to the top of the supervisory board after the Boeing 737 Max debacle – which the FAA also criticized heavily. It had nothing to do with the controversial original certification of the 737 Max. During his tenure, the jet, which was banned from taking off for around 20 months after two crashes that killed 346 people, was re-registered. There was initially great tension between the group and the supervisory authority. Boeing’s then boss Dennis Muilenburg had to resign in December 2019.