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.
Major U.S. airline strategies such as strict capacity discipline and growth through upgauging rather than adding aircraft or flights continues to create opportunities for ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs). “Airports are generally thirsty for more volume right now,” Spirit Airlines president and CEO Ben Baldanza said. “There are obviously some exceptions of airports that are still facility-constrained, but most airports . . . have a lot of space in them.”
Mark Skidmore, a former head of Australia’s Royal Air Force and test pilot for Raytheon, has been tapped to lead the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) as its new director of Aviation Safety. The appointment, which is for a five-year term, comes as CASA is working to respond to the Australian government’s independent review of the country’s civil aviation regulations.
