Sean Broderick covers aviation safety, MRO, and the hardware side of the airline business from Aviation Week Network's Washington, D.C. office.
Broderick's aviation career started in 1991, working for Airbus in Toulouse. His industry experience includes four years with an aviation consultancy, where he helped launch a U.S. Part 121 carrier; 12 years with the American Association of Airport Executives, where he served as editor of Airport Magazine; and 20 years in full- and part-time roles with Aviation Week writing primarily about safety and the aftermarket.
Broderick was named the 2020 Aerospace Journalist of the Year by the Aerospace Media Awards. He also shared in a 2020 Neal Award for Best News Coverage with Aviation Week Network colleagues. Broderick and Aviation Week colleague John Croft shared the 2015 Flight Safety International Cecil A. Brownlow Publication Award recognizing "significant contributions by journalists to aviation safety awareness."
He graduated from James Madison University with a B.S. in Communications ('91) and earned an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications ('13) from West Virginia University.
Delta Air Lines, advancing its strategy of channeling capital into its existing fleet as opposed to more new aircraft, will pour $770 million into refreshing cabins and adding both seats and passenger creature comforts on 225 narrowbodies during the next three years. The changes will see an array of improvements, including new slim-line seats with plug-in power, in-seat video, satellite TV, and revamped galleys and lavatories installed on 56 Boeing 757-200s, 43 737-800s, 57 Airbus A319, and 69 A320s.
Wencor Group, boosting its aftermarket capabilities and increasing its appeal to potential buyers, has purchased cabin interiors specialist Flight Line Products, Wencor reported. Flight Line’s services include passenger and crew seat overhauls as well as developing Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) parts, such as arm rest covers and tray tables, for use as spares.
FAA is giving Airbus A320-family operators as little as 48 months to weigh elevators or check maintenance records to ensure routine work—including painting—has not added too much weight to the structures. The U.S. agency, following a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandate issued in October 2012, ordered the inspections in a Jan. 6 airworthiness directive. “It has been identified that maintenance activities, such as repairs or the accumulation of paint layers, may cause the weight of an elevator to exceed the certified limits,” FAA says.
