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.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) intends to use leased Airbus A320s to set up a new low-cost carrier (LCC) following the demise of joint venture AirAsia Japan. The airline says the operation will launch at the end of December with two A320s, and will have five by the end of March 2014. ANA already has an agreement in place with AWAS to lease three A320s, which an ANA spokeswoman says originally were earmarked for AirAsia Japan but now will be used in the new LCC.
While the FAA is making significant progress in deploying its en route automation modernization (ERAM) system, there are still concerns that more slips will occur in the program’s timetable and budget. ERAM is now being used to control traffic—to varying degrees—at 16 of the 20 en route centers that are slated to receive it. This represents a considerable turnaround for the program, which has been one of the FAA’s major headaches in recent years. Past delays and cost overruns have severely hampered ERAM, which is an essential precursor to NextGen.
China Southern Airlines has moved up the date for introducing its Boeing 787s on routes to New Zealand, which will make it among the first to operate the 787 on scheduled services in Australasia. The airline was previously planning to introduce 787s between Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Auckland International Airport from Dec. 4. However, the carrier has announced that it will begin 787 service on Oct. 28.
