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.
Business magnate Lucio Tan is looking to further strengthen his grip on Philippine Airlines (PAL) by buying outstanding minority shares, although the carrier’s holding company insists it will remain publicly listed. PAL Holdings confirms that Tan has issued a voluntary offer—through two of his companies—to buy remaining shares. Tan already controls almost 90% of PAL Holdings, which in turn owns 98% of the airline. He recently grew his ownership in PAL Holdings through purchase of a 47% stake from the San Miguel Corp.
In contrast to Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda airports, Kansai has been able to use its greater available capacity to draw new flights from Japanese and foreign airlines. It is positioning itself well to take advantage of an increase in overseas visitor numbers. This has been particularly evident with LCCs, as Japan’s new budget airlines establish bases and grow their networks at Kansai. In addition, several foreign LCCs have launched service to Osaka, and more plan to follow.
