President Trump on Tuesday named Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive, as his choice to become the permanent head of the Federal Aviation Administration, an agency facing scrutiny after two deadly airplane crashes in less than five months.

Mr. Dickson will be nominated for the post amid intensifying calls worldwide for the aviation agency to explain its approval of the Boeing 737 Max, the jet involved in the two accidents, an Ethiopian Airlines crash this month and a Lion Air crash in October.

Mr. Dickson retired as Delta’s senior vice president of flight operations last fall after a 27-year career at the company during which he flew commercial routes and also oversaw safety, pilot training and regulatory compliance. He is a former Air Force officer, Air Force Academy graduate and F-15 fighter pilot, according to Delta.

“Steve is passionate about safety and has a deep understanding of the needs of the aviation industry and the traveling public,” said Michael Huerta, a former F.A.A. administrator picked by President Barack Obama.