John J. Hickey

Deputy Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety

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John Hickey was named Deputy Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety in December 2008.

As Deputy Associate Administrator, he assists the Associate Administrator in providing oversight and direction for the certification, production approval, and continued airworthiness of aircraft; the certification of pilots, mechanics, flight attendants, and others in safety-related positions; the certification of all operations and maintenance enterprises in domestic civil aviation; development of regulations; and the certification and safety oversight the U.S. commercial airlines and air operators. These programs have a direct impact on every facet of domestic and international civil aviation and are the heart of the Nation's aviation safety efforts.

Aviation Safety programs are carried out by a work force of more than 7,000 employees located in Washington headquarters, eight regional offices, and more than 120 field offices throughout the world. The Aviation Safety work force is augmented by some 16,000 persons in the private-sector aviation community who are designated to perform certain aviation safety functions on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA's annual aviation safety budget is more than $1 billion.

Before being named the Deputy Associate Administrator, John served as the Director of the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) from October, 2000. As the Director, John was responsible for the design certification, production approval, and continued airworthiness of the U.S. civil aircraft fleet, and was directly involved in the development and implementation of several significant safety and security actions, including Fuel Tank Safety, the Aging Airplane Program and Flight Deck Door Security initiatives.

John's career with FAA began in 1990 as a flight test engineer in the Transport Airplane Directorate's Standards Staff in the Transport Airplane Directorate. During his 10 years in the Directorate, John also served as the International Program Manager and the Manager of the Flight Test and Systems Branch before becoming the Manager of the Transport Airplane Directorate.

Prior to joining FAA, John worked for The Boeing Company for 10 years on the Aerodynamics Staff of the Engineering Division. He first became involved in aircraft certification in 1984 on the Boeing 737-300 program, and subsequently served as certification lead for aerodynamics performance on the 737-400, 737-400HGW, and 737-500 programs. While at Boeing, John was a designated engineering representative (DER) for FAA.

In April 2002, John received the "Nuts and Bolts" award from the Engineering, Maintenance, and Material Council of the Airline Transportation Association, in recognition for "his leadership in restoring public confidence in Aviation after September 11, 2001, through regulatory management of cockpit door security enhancements and other security measures". In 2003, John received the U.S. Secretary of Transportation's "Transportation 9/11 Award."

John was born and raised in Boston, where he earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Boston University in 1980. John and his wife, Debra, have two sons and reside in Fairfax, Virginia.