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.
The aviation aftermarket has become more sophisticated about how it repurposes aircraft, engines and material no longer needed in operation. Some aircraft still get parked, but the number that remain inactive in deserts or on tarmacs is dwindling because aircraft financiers, lessors and parts providers employ asset-valuation strategies earlier in the game. Today, many mature aircraft are worth more as parts than as a whole.
Washington FAA officials have spent considerable energy this year warning industry that shrinking resources tied to federal budget cuts would put the squeeze on myriad airworthiness approvals, new product certifications and related tasks that keep aviation going—and innovating. One way to ensure your projects are moving, the officials says, is to take on more of the FAA's work by creating an Organization Designation Authorization (ODA).
The FAA’s temporary shutdown combined with sequestration is increasing pressure on the agency to do “more with less,” and should jump-start serious conversations about how to establish stable funding for the agency, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said yesterday. The agency is “gearing back up” following the 16-day shutdown, and “it will take time to assess the backlog of work that developed,” Huerta noted during an Aero Club of Washington event.
