Washington (dpa) - Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) administrator Steve Dickson and his deputy Dan Elwell will travel to Seattle next week to assess new training plans for the Boeing 737 MAX jet ahead of certification, the FAA said Friday.

Following training on a flight simulator, Dickson is tentatively scheduled to pilot a Boeing 737 MAX on Wednesday, "fulfilling his promise to fly the aircraft before the FAA approves its return to service," the regulator said in a communique to Congressional oversight committees in Washington.

Dickson, who is a trained pilot, worked for the US Air Force and for Delta Airlines before joining the FAA.

The 737 MAX series of planes was grounded last year following the death of 346 people in two accidents, one in Indonesia in October 2018 and another in Ethiopia in March 2019.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing recently completed certification flight tests for the 737 MAX.

But more steps are required before the twin-engined jet is declared airworthy again and data gathered during flight testing is being evaluated.

Other international supervisory authorities such as the European EASA will also have a say in the matter before the 737 Max can fly again internationally.

Earlier this week, the FAA, Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC) concluded their assessment of Boeing’s new training regimen for the revamped jet.

The FAA also still has to open a planned 45-day public comment period.

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