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.
Australian regional airlines are using an upcoming general election to draw attention to policies they say are strangling the industry. And it appears that a power change is their best hope for seeing at least some of these concerns resolved.
As other overseas carriers increase their investment in Virgin Australia, attention is shifting to Etihad Airways’ interest in the Australian operator. Etihad currently owns about 9% of Virgin Australia, but that is now dwarfed by the stakes of just under 20% held by both Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines. The latest to boost its share was Singapore Airlines, which recently acquired a 10% stake in Virgin Australia from the U.K.-based Virgin Group. This move increased market speculation that the sale would spur Etihad to boost its holding.
