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.
U.S. safety officials are expected to raise the Philippine air safety rating back up to category 1 this week, according to the Philippine aviation safety agency. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is telling local media that a delegation of senior FAA officials will be visiting today, and that they will likely make an announcement regarding the Philippine safety rating. A category one classification would allow Philippine carriers to add or expand service to the U.S., which would benefit both Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific.
AirAsia’s long-haul affiliate AirAsia X is continuing its expansion in Japan, with Nagoya to be the latest new destination in that market. The service to Chubu Centrair International Airport will begin March 17 and will be AirAsia X’s third Japanese route from its Kuala Lumpur International Airport base. The airline already offers flights to Tokyo and Osaka and in June AirAsia X’s CEO Azran Osman-Rani told Aviation Week that further expansion in Japan was likely, and that after Nagoya services will be launched to Fukuoka and Sapporo.
At least one of the three airlines with a major stake in Virgin Australia plans to accept an invitation to be represented on Virgin Australia’s board, making it likely that the other two will follow suit. Virgin Australia says it intends to work with the three overseas airlines—Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines (SIA)—with a view to them taking seats on the board.
