US: FAA chief will assess 737 Max status in trip to Seattle this week

FAA chief Steve Dickson plans to visit Boeing facilities in Seattle this week to personally assess the status of the grounded 737 Max. Dickson, a former executive and pilot at Delta Air Lines who is qualified to fly the 737, said he intends to perform test runs on a Max flight simulator while on the trip. The agency hasn’t seen Boeing’s final safety assessment and application to return the plane to flight, he said. “It’s really safety first and we’re not on any specific timeline,” Dickson said. When asked about indications that other regulators around the world may wait to return the plane to service and conduct additional scrutiny after FAA acts, Dickson said it’s not unusual for other agencies to validate FAA’s work. “We’re working very hard to ensure that everyone is aligned,” he said. <br/>