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.
Lion Air’s new Thai affiliate wants to operate two of the Boeing 787s that its parent company has on order, for use on international routes out of Bangkok. Thai Lion Air “is speaking” with the Lion Group about adding 787-8s to its fleet and using these aircraft to launch services to Japan and South Korea, says Thai Lion Air CEO Darsito Hendro Septro. He says he would like Lion Group to allocate the two 787s in 2016. Lion has five 787s on order, with first delivery expected in 2015. It also has five options.
Japan Airlines (JAL) and Qantas are boosting their investment in Japanese low-cost carrier Jerstar Japan, a move that represents a vote of confidence in the performance of the fledgling carrier and its growth prospects. The two mainline carriers have announced a combined equity injection of 11 billion yen ($111.9 million), which will lift their ownership stakes to 45.7% each, up from 41.7%. The other two partners in the joint venture, Mitsubishi Corp. and Century Tokyo Leasing, will now each own 4.3%.
