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.
While budget worries are clouding the future of the FAA’s NextGen program, the agency is making significant progress in deploying an automation system that will be a crucial foundation of the modernization effort.
Lion Air says its proposed joint venture low-cost carrier in Thailand is making progress towards gaining government approval, although it is not yet providing a launch date. The Indonesian carrier is attempting to set up the joint venture with an unnamed Thai partner to meet that country’s requirement that any airline be at least 51% locally owned. A Lion Air spokesman tells Aviation Week that a launch date will not be announced until the air operator’s certificate (AOC) has been approved.
Virgin Australia may soon grow its fleet of aircraft dedicated to charter operations as new opportunities arise, particularly to support the mining economy, says Merren McArthur, the carrier’s head of regional and charter business
