Saturday’s appointment by the Biden administration of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), safety chief, to act as acting head of the agency was made effective Friday.

Billy Nolen in December was named FAA’s associate administrator in aviation safety. He previously served as vice president, safety, security and Quality for WestJet Airlines Canada.

Nolen began his career in the field of anaesthesiology. American AirlinesSteve Dickson will be replaced by pilot Steve Dickson who retires as FAA administrator on March 31. The White House then nominates a permanent successor.

U.S Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that Billy Nolen is an expert in aviation, and has a profound understanding of how the FAA helps ensure the safety of travelers.

Nolen oversees a workforce of over 7,600 FAA employees. Safety efforts by the FAA and supervision of BoeingThe FAA came under scrutiny after the two fatal 737 MAX crash deaths that occurred over a period of five months. This led to the 20-month grounded of the aircraft. In December 2020, Congress passed legislation that would reform the FAA’s certification process for new aircraft and delegate some of its duties to Boeing.

Dickson (64), is about half way through his five year term. According to the FAA, the Biden administration is “conducting a nationwide search for a permanent FAA administrator nominee,” Saturday’s announcement stated.

The FAA was headed by Dickson as it went through a thorough review of then-grounded Boeing 737 MAX. Dickson took a firm stance, cautioning in 2019 that Boeing had a “return-to-service plan that isn’t realistic”.

The FAA warned Boeing that certification may be delayed for the 737 Max 10 version. It also requested updates from Congress on the progress of both the 777-9 and 737 Max 10.

Boeing is currently being inspected by the FAA. Last month, it stated that Boeing would not be able to self-certify its 787 Dreamliners.

Nolen faces the challenge of 5G wireless use C-Band spectrum. It is an issue that has seen major international airlines cancel U.S. flights after being warned the network could cause interference with sensitive electronic equipment. Nolen continues to meet with representatives from both the telecom industry and the aviation industry.

FAA said that Bradley Mims, Deputy FAA Administrator, “will also be taking on an expanded position during this interim period. He will concentrate on the FAA’s workforce as well as the country’s airports.”