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.
While Boeing’s planned production rate increase to 47 Boeing 737s a month in 2017 will add pressure on its suppliers, the bigger ramifications may come on the aftermarket, an industry analyst suggests. Boeing is already set to increase 737NG rates from the current 38 per month to 42 a month next year. The widely anticipated move to 47 each month, announced last week, will put more 737NGs into service faster as Boeing ramps up a new assembly line to start delivering the 737 MAX in 2017.
Canadian carrier WestJet went three-for-three on its major third-quarter initiatives, launching its airline-within-an-airline and new premium economy product—and getting solid returns from both—while fast-tracking a cost-savings effort that will see it save C$100 million ($96 million) annually by 2015, company executives report. Encore, WestJet’s three-pronged regional service, is off to a strong start, with five Bombardier Q400s operating 40 daily departures to 12 destinations, says WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky.
Reports of landing gear vibration events on Boeing 737 Classic aircraft have risen sharply in the past several years, prompting the manufacturer to highlight its recommendations for preventing such incidents. While still infrequent, landing gear shimmy—caused when a single-axle main landing gear strut’s inner cylinder and wheels oscillate relative to the fixed, outer cylinder as the aircraft rolls out—can be dangerous. The worst incidents result in the collapse of the landing gear.
