After the swearing in ceremony of Stephen Dickson as the new administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao confirmed that she asked Dickson to make an assessment of the agency’s performance subsequent to the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes, making it clear that: “it is an important opportunity to take stock of how well the FAA is doing in carrying out its critical safety functions.” Chao also asked him “to assess the performance of the agency and the results of the ongoing investigations to make recommendations about any needed reforms.”
Dickson’s response was similar to that of Acting Administrator Dan Elwell in that the Boeing 737 MAX: “will not fly in commercial service until I am completely satisfied that it is safe to do so. FAA is following no timeline in returning the aircraft to service. Rather we are going to where the facts lead us.”
