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.
Sean Broderick (Atlanta), John Croft (Atlanta), James R. Asker (Atlanta)
Though more than $1 billion in government-backed loans for FAA NextGen avionics could soon be available, airlines remain cautious about investing in the technologies even as the first milestone—equipping with automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B)—approaches.
A recently opened facility in Moses Lake, Wash., is helping Aviation Technical Services (ATS) meet increasing demand for heavy airframe maintenance and modifications just a few years after a dip in the market forced the company to cut capacity. Following the 2008 recession, U.S. airlines saw system available seat miles (ASMs) fall 7.7% in the next two years, according to FAA data.
FAA’s Aviation Safety branch is in a sequestration-driven staffing “free fall” and expects to continue shrinking into next year, FAA Deputy Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety John Hickey told MRO Americas attendees in Atlanta April 18. According to Hickey, the “significant” impact will be felt most in non-safety sensitive areas, like achieving new certifications.
