Adrian is Auckland bureau chief for Aviation Week, based in New Zealand. He covers commercial aviation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Adrian was previously based in Aviation Week’s Washington office for nine years, writing for a range of the group’s publications and covering many aspects of the commercial aviation industry. He has won Australasian and international awards for his aviation writing.
Prior to joining Aviation Week in 2002, Adrian covered aviation industry and policy issues for two other publishing companies in Washington. He has also worked for newspapers in Texas and New Zealand, covering a wide range of topics. Adrian graduated from Auckland University with a degree in history and English in 1992.
Cairns will be PAL’s fifth Australian destination. Both PAL and its local rival, Cebu Pacific, regard Australia as a key market, with Cebu lobbying to expand bilateral air rights between the two countries.
Asia-Pacific airlines collectively achieved breakeven in terms of net earnings for 2014, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA). This was down from a combined net profit of $2.2 billion in 2013. Increased passenger demand more than offset a decline in yields, though capacity growth still outpaced growth in demand. Another negative factor was the strengthening U.S. dollar versus local currencies. Fuel costs declined by 1.1%, and operating margin dropped by 0.7 points to 1.6%. AAPA statistics measure 26 carriers in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to local media reports, the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) and the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. are negotiating to take a combined 33.4% share in Skymark.
