FAA Administrator Steve Dickson to Resign March 31

The New York Times reports the administrator announced his decision to leave the office late on Wednesday, February 16, 2022.

Dickson: “It’s Time to Go Home”

Dickson’s career in aviation spanned over 40 years, dating back to his graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1979. After leaving the service in 1990, he joined Delta Air Lines as a pilot, qualified to fly both the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft family, as well as the Boeing 757 and 767. He worked his way up through the ranks to ultimately retire as senior vice president of flight operations.

After retiring from Delta in 2018, Dickson was nominated by then-president Donald Trump to serve as FAA administrator, replacing longtime leader Michael Huerta. Confirmed on a party line vote, the former executive was sworn into his five-year term on August 12, 2019.

During his tenure, Dickson faced numerous challenges, including the re-certification of the Boeing 737 MAX. Despite taking criticism from Congress on the FAA’s approach to the MAX prior to the two fatal accidents, the administrator personally piloted one of the airframes after new safety measures were installed.

His administration also sought to hold the Chicago-based manufacturer accountable for accusations of poor quality controls. In addition to FAA investigations leading to a $2.5 billion deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department, the agency also stripped Boeing of their ability to self-certify all new 787 Dreamliner deliveries.

Dickson was additionally in charge of the administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although his leadership deferred mask mandates to the airlines in 2020, his agency began pursuing fines against flyers who behaved poorly on flights the next year. In 2021 alone, the agency pursued over $1 million in fines against passengers who refused to wear face coverings or, worse, harassed or assaulted flight crews.

One of his final acts as FAA administrator was responding to the expansion of C-band 5G by both AT&T and Verizon. Working with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the FAA was able to negotiate a compromise with the cellular carriers over operations near airports while further investigation on interference with radio altimeters is completed.

In his retirement message, Dickson said it was “time to go home,” stating he wanted to spend more time with family. His time was split between his home in Georgia and Washington, D.C.

“Over the past several years, my family has been a source of tremendous encouragement, strength and support,” Dickson’s statement read, as quoted by The New York Times. “Nevertheless, after sometimes long and unavoidable periods of separation from my loved ones during the pandemic, it is time to devote my full time and attention to them.”

Well wishes for Dickson came from both sides of the aisle. House Transportation Committee chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR) thanked the administrator for his service – a sentiment echoed by committee ranking member Sam Graves (R-MO).

“While Administrator Dickson and I didn’t always see eye to eye, I thank him for his dedicated service to our country during such a challenging time for aviation,” DeFazio wrote in a statement.

“At a difficult time for the agency, Steve stepped up and led the FAA with confidence and strength, working to restore public confidence in our aviation system while implementing important bipartisan improvements to the aircraft certification process,” Graves statement reads.

It will be up to current President Joe Biden to nominate a new leader for the agency. An acting administrator has yet to be named.

Dickson Third Major Aviation Leader to Step Down in 2022

With his resignation, Dickson is the third major leader in civil aviation to announce his retirement this year. Southwest Airlines chief executive Gary Kelly left his airline on February 1, 2022, replaced by longtime carrier executive Bob Jordan. At American Airlines, Doug Parker will leave the CEO office at the end of March 2022, handing over the title to six-year president Robert Isom.