Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated a former Delta Airlines executive to become the new administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration as the country's airlines continue coping with the grounding of Boeing 737 Max jets.

The White House said Trump was naming Steve Dickson, who retired recently as Delta's vice president for flight operations, to the FAA role.

The agency had been without a permanent chief for more than a year. The administrator role was filled in an acting capacity by Daniel Elwell for 14 months.

Dickson had been eyed by the White House for months to take the job, though action on his nomination wasn't taken until Tuesday. Trump made the selection before the current controversy surrounding the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max jets, the aircraft involved in two deadly crashes over the past several months.

Last week, Trump announced from the White House the jets wouldn't be permitted to fly until Boeing determines they are safe. His announcement came ahead of any official word from the FAA, and caught some officials off-guard.

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